Phantasm
by Quantum27
Summary: Phantasm: noun 1. an apparition or specter. Sonic The Hedgehog. A hero. A Guardian of the Chaos Emeralds. But he wasn't the only one. There were three, before him. Fleetway, Seris, and Maria. But what people don't know, is that he has direct contact with them.
1. The Beginning

_It's done. It's finally done. I did it._ The young hedgehog let out a laugh as he raced through Green Hill Zone, his home. Behind him trailed a line of little non-Mobian animals. Earthies as they were called. He was the one that saved them all. It was a little mind-boggling, to say the least. After all, he had been through. He was finally at the end.

He screeched to a halt. Around him, the Earthies seemed to chatter amongst themselves. _They're so happy._ He thought to himself. Green Hill Zone was still as wonderful as always...and definitely more, now that there were no Badniks running around. His eyebrow quirked as he remembered something. The Chaos Emeralds. The legendary six chaos emeralds. He had all of them. Right now, tucked in his quills. It was a bit of an unorthodox way to store them, but it had worked. _I should probably...do something with them._ As he thought this, the emeralds started to heat up. The sudden warmth caused him to panic, and he rushed to throw them out of his quills.

And just as he was about to, everything seemed to flash before him. His world faded to white.

* * *

 _Where? Where am I?_ The hedgehog put a hand to his forehead, before sending a suspicious glance around him. White. Everything was White. For miles on end. _I was just in Green Hill Zone, where am I now?_ He jumped to his feet, getting into a fighting stance. _Robotnik wouldn't attack me so soon after defeating him, would he?_

"Hello!" He jumped two feet off the ground. The blue blur span around to face the source of the voice. "Oh, I'm sorry I startled you! You didn't get hurt when you jumped did you?" His dark eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing. In this strange situation, of all things to show up, was a human girl. She looked at him expectantly. _Oh, yeah, she asked a question._ He swallowed nervously, then shook his head 'no'.

"Oh, that's good...though I'm pretty sure you can't get hurt here...I don't know, we'll have to ask." _What!? What's she even talking about?_ He couldn't help it, his anger and confusion got the best of him, and he snapped.

"What is this!? Is Robotnik behind this!? If he is, I demand to see him!" The girl's eyes widened.

"R-Robotnik...why did you say that?" She asked in a small voice, her eyes still wide. His stance relaxed as he looked into her blue eyes. Whatever this was...he shouldn't have yelled at her.

"I-er-uh, sorry...I just got a bit angry." He scratched the back of his head nervously. She relaxed as well, though her posture stayed a bit tense.

"I'm Maria, by the way." She stuck out her hand. It was in that moment that he finally got a good look at her. She had bright blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. Those eyes of her were as blue as the sky, and the top part of her dress matched them. He looked at her hand.

"I'm Ma- Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. And I want to know what's going on here." It was a bit rude to snub her hand, but he wasn't going to be too polite until he had answers.

"Oh, yes, I was getting to that," she smiled at him, which threw him off guard, "Technically, right at this moment...well, we're in a dimensional plane connected to you."

"To me?" He asked incredulously.

"Yup." She popped the 'p' on the end. "And it's all because you're the Guardian of the Chaos Emeralds. I'm guessing you had some sort of connection with a high amount of chaos energy, and it activated the Guardian thingy and sent you here. I think." Sonic raised an eyebrow. This was a bit hard to believe. Actually, it was a lot hard to believe.

"And who are you supposed to be?" She smiled bashfully.

"Well...I'm one of the previous Guardians. The last one before you, to be specific. That's why I'm doing the introductory stuff. Speaking off," She looked over her shoulder, "How'd I do, Ser?" It was then, a mobian, one like Sonic had never seen before, emerged from seemingly nowhere.

"Howdy." The magenta mobian tipped an invisible hat to him. She wore a black tank top, and the rest of her clothes looked like mountain climbing gear. The most noticeable thing was the aqua colored beads of the necklace she wore. Her odd dreadlock quills things were in a ponytail. "I'm Seris. I'm an echidna, by the look on your face you've probably never seen a mobian like me." Sonic shook his head slowly and unsurely. The echidna smiled sadly.

"I'd thought so...anyway, you're Sonic right? Welcome to the club, kid." Sonic's eyebrows furrowed in irritation.

"How...How many people are here?"

"Oh just me, you, Seris...and Fleetway." Both women sent a sidelong glance to the left of him.

Again another mobian had appeared out of nowhere. It was a yellow hedgehog. He sent a glare towards Sonic, his hands on hips. "But don't mind him, he's a little grumpy, but most of the time…"

"He's busy reveling in his own angst." Seris finished. The young hedgehog sent a disbelieving look between the two women. Maria had a small expectant smile on her face. Seris had her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk planted firmly on her face.

"That's," Sonic started slowly, "Not a lot of people for being Guardian of the Chaos Emeralds." The echidna shrugged.

"The Chaos Emeralds are the ones who choose. There's big time gaps and such. There were nearly a hundred years before Maria was chosen after me, and two hundred before I was chosen." Black eyes darted back and forth, processing this information.

"The seven are mysterious." Seris continued. This statement caused the young hedgehog's mouth to hang open.

"Seven? Wait- No-no...there's only six...right?" His voice cracked. The only other hedgehog strode over to the small group. Fleetway glared at Sonic who fidgeted under his gaze.

"I cannot believe this, who is spreading this nonsense of there only being six?" He didn't let anyone answer before examining Sonic more closely, "And what has happened to Mobius that you don't have any eye color? Why if I…" Seris put her hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, no one needs to hear about how it was in your day. It makes you sound old." The yellow hedgehog looked annoyed at this. He took one last look at Sonic before walking back to where he was earlier. They were silent for a moment before Sonic coughed.

"Uh, well I need to be going...so...er, is there a way to get out of this, what did you say it was, dimensional plane? Was it?" Maria smiled a cheeky grin at him.

"Yes, yes, you do have to go...but before you do...is there anything you want to show us? I mean we're going to be with you from now on...so?" Sonic's eyes darted between the two women.

"Show you?" His voice rose to a high pitch.

"You can show us your memories...you just have to well, how do I say it? Think about it really hard?" Seris questioned herself, snapping her fingers trying to figure a way to describe it. The hedgehog thought about this for a moment. If he was stuck with these people he couldn't be too secretive.

"I, guess...I can show you the past year, or so." He said hesitantly. His eyes shiftily avoided their gazes. The memories flooded in easier than he expected, around them, flashes of them penetrated the white. Most of it was spent living in Green Hill Zone, just trying to stay away from it all...ever since… and then he saw that moto bug, and he knew he had to finally stop Robotnik. He had gone too far when he had invaded Green Hill Zone.

"Woah," Maria exclaimed softly. "You seemed really sad. Did something happen before any of that?" The hedgehog made no comment.

"I need to get going…" He muttered.

"Yeah, you should go. You seem to have quite the responsibility on your shoulders, kid." The echidna said it almost sadly. _I don't need any pity right now_. The thought caused a scowl to form on his face. He closed his eyes.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in Green Hill. No time had seemed to pass. He looked to the sky, the Chaos Emeralds dispersing. Sonic's eyes were wide, and he couldn't help but sigh. All that hard work gone to waste. He looked down to the Earthies, that were comfortably settling back into their home.

Sonic sighed again, and started to head home. He headed towards the hidden parts of Green Hill, where shade prevailed over sunshine. Towards the back, there was a cave. And right by the entrance was a brilliant red aeroplane, and in white print read his own name. He fondly ran his finger over the red brilliance. Then, he went into his humble abode. The cave did not have a proper bed, only a pile of blankets. The only other thing in there was a wicker chest.

"Kinda an odd place to live in." Sonic jumped, hitting his head on the wall of the cave. _Ow...that hurts._ Standing before him was Maria, oddly transparent as if she was a ghost. "Oh my Chaos. I'm so sorry, are you alright!?"

'Do I look fine?' he thought in response.

"No, you don't look fine."

'Wait...you heard that? But I'm thinking...what's happening!?' Sonic panicked, bracing himself against the wall.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot to tell you. We can see everything you see and do when we choose to. We can also enter these ghostly forms to talk and communicate with you."

 _Well, better to tell me now, then later._ Maria didn't respond. 'Did you, did you hear what I just thought?' She shook her head 'no'. _How about this one?_ No response. 'It's weird...I can talk to you through my thoughts...but sometimes you won't hear them.'

Maria shrugged, "Gives you a sense of privacy, I suppose." He watched her carefully, the way her pale features contrasted against the dark cave. It was kinda weird how he could literally see through her.

"That's a cool plane...can you actually fly it?"

Sonic frowned at the doubt. 'Of course. A, uh, old friend taught me. I fixed it up, and painted it myself. It's called the Tornado.'

"Neat…" Maria looked sad for a moment and looked around the cave. "So are you going to keep living here...I mean, you've lived here for a year, right?"

'Yes. But...I think I need to move on...well, if I'm going to keep stopping Robotnik, I'm just endangering Green Hill. I have to move on.'

"Where are we gonna go?" He frowned at the usage of the word 'We'.

'My friend left me a base, on an island, it's built up from an old plane, rather cool actually. I'm going there tomorrow.' He walked over to the basket, and opened it, taking out an apple. Maria watched him, something odd in her eye.

'It's rude to stare.' He thought to her, taking a bite out of the red fruit.

"Ah, sorry." She apologizes too much. She has nothing really to be sorry for. "You remind me...of someone I used to know." _So she has an old friend as well…_

He looked down at the floor, studying the dirt. 'Don't worry about it...I don't mind... too much.' She smiled at him, and Sonic felt happy.

* * *

"It's really dusty in here." Sonic sent an odd look towards Maria, he was still getting used to these people talking to him, in his head. And talking to no one else. It was slightly disturbing to say the least, but the idea was still getting better, and the company was nice.

He had done as he said and gone to the island. It was built from an old plane, and from up above in the Tornado, it just looked like an old crash site. One that was not worth scavenging from, and looked like it was so old that anything that would've been worthwhile would've been wouldn't be now. On the inside, however, the place was liveable, and though the technology was not that up to date, it was manageable. At least that's what he saw with only a brief look through. He'd have to do a bit of cleaning to make it liveable.

'Dusty...well at least the previous owner didn't leave food laying out or something.'

"That would be gross." Maria said in agreement. He turned and was startled when Seris was suddenly there. He would need to get used to that.

"Sorry." She replied, slightly shameful but mostly humorous. "Didn't mean to scare you." She examined the place herself, and reached to touch one of the metallic walls, but stopped. Her hand would've gone through the wall. "I hope you're not scared of storms, cause this place is not gonna block out any of the sound."

The blue hedgehog shrugged in response. He seemed to do that a lot these days. _I think I've shrugged more than I have ever before since these guys have come into my head._

"Fleetway?" Maria looked towards her left. Sonic blinked. The yellow hedgehog wasn't there.

'Uh, Maria?' He questioned. The young girl looked from where she had been to Sonic.

"He's invisible, but he's standing there." She pointed, "He's not in white space."

'Ah,' He replied, not knowing what to say. Again that was another thing he did a lot these days. It was confusing, between Robotnik and these...Guardians, he had his hands full. _At least these guys are trustworthy. And...it's been awhile since I've had friends._ He tried to reassure himself, despite his doubts. 'Is everything alright?'

"Everything's fine. He's just being Fleetway." Seris waved Sonic's concern away. Right, right...okay. He walked to a corner of the room, and found what looked a little bit like a restaurant booth. The couch was curved in a 'c' shape, and the table was slightly pushed out from it. He ran his hand over the table, picking up a thick layer of dust, 'Well, I guess it's time to get to work.'

The blue hedgehog headed and found a duster in the kitchen. He started to aimlessly start cleaning, not particularly having a set plan. The Guardians wandered around the plane, or at least that's what he thought they were doing. Maria seemed fine with following him, pointing out places he should dust.

"Hey kid, I think I've found the hangar!" The echidna called from the end of the hallway.

'Great, I'll move the Tornado soon then.' Sonic looked to the closet he had been trying to open, but the door was sealed shut. His mouth twisted, and he took a closer looked at the door.

"What's wrong with it?" Seris asked, walking over to Maria and Sonic. 'It won't budge.' He replied, frustration in his tone. The young girl put a hand to her chin, stroking a non-existent beard.

"I bet it's airtightly sealed, that's why it's so hard to open." The young hedgehog turned to her, with eyebrows raised.

'Wow, that's rather smart, Maria. I don't think I would've been able to think of that.' She shrugged lightly in response.

"Smart, yes," Seris looked closer at the door, which was metallic just like the walls, and if you were just passing through, you wouldn't even notice it, "But that doesn't answer how to open it."

"It's probably just stuck." Maria murmured. The echidna and the human began exchanging ideas to open it, while Sonic pulled at the handle. He gritted his teeth. _It's just a stupid door._ His arms struggled, and his shoes were losing traction. _It's just. A. STUPID. DOOR_! The young hedgehog fell flat on his butt, and the two guardians stopped their conversation. The door had swung open.

"Are you alright?" Seris asked, wanting to help him up, but not being able to, just stood awkwardly. Sonic waved the question off, pushing himself up off the floor.

"You're sure?" Maria looked at him with concern.

'I'm fine.' He looked to the closet and found himself pleasantly surprised. Blankets, sheets and pillows, and they looked like the cleanest things he had seen in the whole place. He grabbed a blanket, pressing it to his face, it was so soft. A smile spread across his face, and he found himself laughing. Seris and Maria looked at him in confusion, but soon they were laughing too.

The blue hedgehog draped the yellow blanket across his shoulders like a cape. Comfort was a rare thing these days, and little comforts like these were greatly appreciated. He turned to the other two, and smiled, 'Alright, let's move the Tornado, shall we?'

* * *

Sonic set his wicker basket on a counter, taking out an apple. He glanced at the basket, taking a mental tally of the number of fruits. The blanket cape was still wrapped around his shoulders. The entire place was definitely cleaner than it had been when he had arrived. The guardians had seen fit to leave him alone after he had moved the Tornado inside, or at least that's what he assumed.

He walked over to the booth in the corner, taking another blanket he had set on the table, also wrapping himself in it. Laying down, he sighed. Part of him really wanted to start crying. He didn't know why...or maybe he did.

His eyes felt heavy, and soon his breathing slowed. Sonic closed his eyes. And when he opened them he was in white space. _Right...I keep forgetting about this part._

"Are you okay?" Maria noticed his discomfort. _I'm really not sure if I like people always being concerned about my wellbeing like this._

"I'm fine, just- er- adjusting, you know." She nodded, seeming to understand. That was another thing he kept forgetting. These people had gone through the same whole Guardian business he had been going through.

"Don't worry, soon it'll be old hat," Seris said, and Sonic frowned for a moment.

"But," His voice was quiet, "But what if it isn't?" Seris looked taken aback, the question was certainly unexpected. Maria bit her lip, obviously trying to think of an answer.

"You'd be surprised." The voice came from the only other hedgehog. Fleetway, arms crossed over his chest shrugged, when everyone's attention turned to him. "There are some things we think we can't overcome, but we do." He rolled his eyes when their attention was still kept on them. "Just because I'm - what did you call me, Seris? Angsty? Doesn't mean I can't not be." His shoulder shifted uncomfortably under their attention.

This was really going to be his life now.


	2. Kitsune Troubles

The Anxiety that came from barely talking to anyone for a year, and then being thrust into a situation where you were forced to socialize with people on a daily basis was a new feeling for Sonic. If he was going, to be honest, he did like the Guardians, though he wouldn't admit that out loud. Yet, with his head always wondering whether they really trusted him or even liked him, things became a little stressful. A different kind of stress from saving the world.

Did the Guardians actually like him? Maria did, at least, and her clever and curious nature was intoxicating. He found himself smiling at the small things that she noticed. The way the sand sparkled on the beach when the light hit just right, or how a broken refrigerator magnet was shaped like a butterfly. It was odd to smile so frequently, so much so he found himself sad when she wasn't present. Not like that was a problem, since Maria usually remained visible to him and provided a running commentary. Was this like having a close friend was like? He couldn't remember.

Now Seris...Seris was another matter entirely. She was like a surrogate mother in a way. Sort of. She was more akin to that one aunt or uncle that came around every four years and gave you something expensive. She was quiet in personality. Every so often she would give an odd piece of advice, or tease him. When she was with Maria she was a bit more open, but with him? Seris had something holding her back from letting the two of them get close. Sonic didn't mind too much, as he had originally been apprehensive to this whole thing (Well, at least not to Maria anymore, everything else was off the table.).

Then, there was Fleetway. The stoic hedgehog. Sonic wasn't the smartest person, and as he had a lot of life to live he didn't claim to be. Even he could tell however, that Fleetway had the shadows of death in his eyes. Well, maybe that was a _bit_ of an over-exaggeration.

* * *

In the early hours of dawn, Sonic the Hedgehog sat on his couch-bed staring at the ceiling. A sigh escaped his mouth, and he drew his blankets tighter around himself. _Why am I even up this early?_ His mouth curled, but then- _Grocery Shopping, right._ He groggily pushed himself off the couch, slipping his shoes on.

He had been living on the island for two weeks now, mostly living off of apples. He'd done some exploring, and Seris had pointed out some fruits and nuts that wouldn't kill him, but...he'd like some food besides that.

Sonic grabbed his wicker basket, reluctantly leaving his blankets on the counter. "You're up early!" Maria said, coming out of nowhere. He was slightly startled but too tired to care.

'I didn't go to white space last night...what's with that?' He asked, rubbing underneath his right eye tiredly.

"Uh…secret meeting?" She said shrugging lightly. He started walking towards the direction of the hangar.

"What about?"

"It was a _secret_ meeting." _What's there even to hide?_ "But to be honest, it was mostly just Fleetway being a stickler."

'Makes sense.' _I guess…_ He had walked into the hangar, Maria floating beside him. The hangar was behind the main "house". It was essentially vacant of anything really as if someone had decided to leave on short notice. Whenever he came here, Sonic always got odd chills...and he wasn't sure why. There weren't any other planes, except for one which was basically just a shell, probably stripped for parts. The one cool thing about the hangar was how the planes got out of it. It was virtually unseen from the outside until the trees seemed to part and a runway extended.

"I'm surprised it still works," Maria said as the runway extended. Her voice was raised a bit more than usual, as it made a tremendous noise.

'Just be thankful that it does.' He replied, folding his arms across his chest.

* * *

If Sonic couldn't run anymore and had to pick one thing to do instead...it'd probably be flying. He'd never get sick of the sensation, or the experience.

The plane rumbled healthily under him, as he turned it only slightly to go more in line with the wind. Maria flew outside the plane. _She really looks like she's actually flying._ Her arms spread wide, hair and dress blowing in the wind. A grin stretched across her whole face. Seris pertained the illusion that she was sitting on the left wing of the plane, legs crossed. Her quill-things did blow in the wind, unlike Fleetway who seemed very out of place. He stood in mid-air, no quills moving. Nothing.

'Hey, uh, Fleetway!?' His thought was projected a bit louder than normal due to the sound of the wind and the engine. 'Could you maybe, like, make your quills or something move a little bit.' The yellow hedgehog sent a glare at him.

"You're freaking him out, just do your fellow hedgehog a favor," Seris smirked at Fleetway, then winked at Sonic. _I wouldn't say he was freaking me out. It's just unnerving is all._ Rolling his eyes, Fleetway's quills and feet started gently moving in the wind. But only slightly. Just enough that it didn't look like he was standing on flat ground with no wind.

Maria laughed, spinning and doing a simple loop-de-loop. Sonic smirked. _Oh no. She has no idea what she's just gotten into._ Switching to the other type of thoughts (He still had no idea how that worked.), he thought 'Hey Maria, you wanna have some real fun?'

"What do you mean?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, but smiling wildly. Still smirking, the blue hedgehog hit a switch in his cockpit, and suddenly the airplane started going a bit faster than normal for a bi-plane. The plane started turning and spinning, and Sonic leaned into it's every move. Loop-de-loops were easy. Spinning while doing Loops? Slightly harder. The Guardian's watched the young hedgehog is shock, worry, and excitement. Or in Fleetway's case, pure confusion.

Maria sped along with the plane, almost as if she was racing it. Arms spread wide, she followed it's every move. The echidna on the plane wing on the other hand, had switched from sitting to standing, almost surfing.

Sonic laughed. And it felt good, it felt really...really good. He only slowed the plane down when he realized that cold wet liquid was trailing down his face. He was crying.

Cursing under his breath, he focused on flying. How could he be having fun now? _I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to have fun. Not when I could've done so much more. Not when everyone who loved me has died._

Maria sighed contently, lying on her back. "I never knew that all of this was like this...I never knew it was so...fun...so full of life." She closed her eyes, and Sonic glanced at her. Those words were a bit odd.

'You make it sound like you've never really lived before?' He replied jokingly. She chose not to respond to that. And maybe that was a good thing.

* * *

Sonic parked the plane in a field outside of town. _Chaos, how long has it been since I've been here?_ South Island's towns were usually limited to the edges of the island. _Isn't it actually a continent?_ Thus most communities were small and secluded toward the lower edges of the island, the top part holding the bigger cities.

"What was that?" Fleetway spat at him as he got out of the cockpit.

'What was what?' The yellow hedgehog spluttered in disgust.

"That spinning, that insane devilry?! Do you want to get yourself killed? I don't think you're able to spare your life so soon with that Robotnik on your heels!" His teeth seemed to sharpen, and Sonic clenched his fists.

"Leave him alone Fleetway, he was just having a bit of fun!" Seris scolded, a slight threat in her tone. Huffing, the hedgehog faded on the spot.

'Thanks.' Sonic frowned, 'But I don't need your help.' The edges of the echidna's lips lifted slightly as if to decide whether to smile or frown. Instead, she shook her head humorously, staying silent. The blue hedgehog turned his attention to Maria, whose eyes were wide.

"It's beautiful." She murmured, eyes focused on the distant town. He shifted his attention, lip slightly curling. The town used to be prosperous, but long before he was born it had shifted to a small rundown town. It honestly wouldn't be that bad, if any of the people were actually happy. _Happy. Hmph. Happy is hard._

'It's run-down.' He got his wicker basket, and took a leather belt out of the bottom of it, and started attaching it to it.

"It's full of opportunities." She contradicted. Suddenly, Seris gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Sonic turned a coal-colored eye towards her, raising an eyebrow.

"My Chaos. Is that Dornstead?"

'Yeah, why?' He didn't even like thinking of the town. _I'm not sure I can do this…_

"You weren't kidding about it being run-down. What happened?" Sonic lifted his basket, the strap fastened so that he could throw it over his shoulder.

'I don't know. Something economic?' _Stop lying, you know the real reason it's so run-down. People used to be happy here. You know why._ 'Probably due to the main buyer of the coal.'

"Why the buyer?" She looked genuinely concerned.

'Robotnik! Okay! He bought all the coal from the town, nobody knew that he was actually going to try and ruin everything!' He snapped, a bit too harsh. Calming himself for a moment by closing his eyes, he breathed. _Everything's fine. Everything's cool._

"Sonic." Maria's voice. Soft, caring, light, hopeful. _Chaos if only I could-_ "No one-" She sounded like she had something stuck in her throat, "No one blames you. You have a right to be angry."

'I wish I could believe that.'

"We'll keep saying it, till you believe it, kid." _I'm sorry, but you weren't there Seris. I know you mean well, but-_ He sighed, slinging his basket over his shoulder. In silence he began walking towards the town, checking over his list with his companions floating beside him.

* * *

When he finally got to the grocery store, he couldn't help throwing a few glances over his shoulder. "What's the matter, kiddo?" Seris grinned, and he frowned slightly in response.

'I feel like someone's watching me. And don't call me kiddo.'

She crossed her arms, "Whatever you say kiddo." He smiled slightly, but not fully, the feeling of uneasiness still staying. He grabbed a cart, frowning only barely able to see over the top of it. He picked an aisle and started walking down it. The one he chose was full of mostly cereal and several other breakfast things as well, such as oatmeal or nut bars.

"Do they still make Rainbow Rings? That was my favorite cereal." Maria said, putting a hand to her chin.

'I don't know, do I look like an expert on cereal?' He asked, eyes scanning the colorful boxes. One particular box said it had marshmallows in it. _I really shouldn't._ He picked up the box looking at the back. _It's such a guilty pleasure. I-_ His thoughts stopped as a sudden recollection hit him. 'I had this, before.'

"Yeah?" Seris asked, raising an eyebrow, "Haven't had it in awhile?"

'No,' He corrected, then getting flustered, 'I mean- Yes, but-' Sonic closed his eyes in frustration. 'Forget it.' The young hedgehog put the box in his cart.

Going through the next two aisles, he noticed Seris and Maria trailing awkwardly behind him. Or, maybe it wasn't that awkward, but, it felt so to him. 'You guys can wander you know. I mean, or as far as you can wander? Is there a limit on that?' Translation: Can you leave me alone for a little bit? The two women smiled at him and went off to wander on their own, Maria eagerly as ever, and Seris looking somewhat pensive.

He sighed, guiltily relieved. That cereal...he always used to _that_ cereal. He'd forgotten that. How much had he forgotten, if he couldn't even remember what his favorite cereal was? So much had changed so quickly. And now, the Guardians?

He proceeded through the aisles getting all that he needed, and when he was finally done, he began to make his way back to the front of the store.

"What is that?" _That's Fleetway's voice. Hm._ He peaked around a shelf and saw the yellow hedgehog and maroon echidna's backs. Fleetway looked like he was pointing at something that was in front of him.

"Ooh, I had no idea they still made this. Then again, Mobius has never been as consistent with tech throughout regions as Earth."

"Yes, but _what_ is it?" Fleetway pressed a slightly exasperated tone in his voice.

Seris laughed quietly, "It's a walkman. It plays tapes."

"Tapes." He replied shortly, then pausing, "Those things that hold information."

"Good." Sonic bit his lip to keep from laughing. _It sounds like she's testing him._

"And...uh, no screen, so it plays sound. No images." She nodded and patted him as if to congratulate them.

"Great job, and also those are the headphones, so that's where the sounds come out." Fleetway nodded, placing his left hand on his hip.

"I knew that much." He said quietly, perhaps slightly proud. Finally feeling comfortable that he wasn't ruining the moment, he pushed his cart forward, promptly going _through_ the two Guardians. Seris shivered, and Fleetway pursed his lips.

'Hm, Walkmans?' He quipped, picking one up. The second his fingers touched it, he recoiled, almost dropping it. A sudden wave of nostalgia and a distinct memory had overtaken him, flooding all his senses. He let out a harsh breath, closing his eyes for a brief second.

"You alright?" Seris asked, quirked an eyebrow.

'Y-Yeah. I'm fine.' Sonic shook his head, putting the Walkman in his cart. _How did I forget that?_ His fingers struggled to stay steady as the memory remained firmly in his head.

"Alright," She dismissed his odd behavior, and he let out a sigh of relief, "That's a lot of ramens." Sonic raised his eyebrows, glancing at the cart. At least ¼ of it was the quick-to-make pasta.

'So?' His face resorted to a blank slate.

"It's not exactly healthy." Seris looked like she was tempted to reprimand him, but instead nonchalantly played with her necklace. He sighed and started pushing his cart.

'It's easy to make, and it doesn't go bad. I have plenty of healthy food too. It's just for emergencies,' He paused, 'And also, it's good if you get sick. Easy to eat.'

"As long as you don't get yourself killed," Fleetway said, an oddly sharp note to his voice. The younger hedgehog slowed his steps, hands having previously had a firm grasp on the cart, seemed to tighten. _Shut up._ The silent, venomous, though seemed to almost leak, or at least his emotions did, as Seris' eyes widened.

"Back off him, Fleetway." Seris murmured under her breath. The yellow hedgehog said nothing, only sending a glare at her. With that sour confrontation, the young hedgehog proceeded to checkout, a grim look in his eyes the entire time.

Sonic gritted his teeth as the cashier rang up his items, every beep seeming to rattle him. "Would that be cash or credit?" The young hedgehog narrowed his eyes. Maria, suddenly popped up from behind the cashier's counter, saying "I think you should respond Sonic."

"Rings then?" The cashier said quietly before Sonic could respond. He nodded, eyes focused on the ground.

"I don't understand, what's happening?" Fleetway asked in confusion. The cashier pulled out a small square box and plugged it into the register. "Aren't rings used for extra energy, healing, and better manipulation of chaos energies? That's how it was in my day." Frowning, Sonic sent him a glare.

"Alright, please put your hand on the device and transfer the amount, uh…$60.50?" Begrudgingly the young hedgehog placed his hand on the box, which glowed warmly. Sonic felt an almost prickling sensation in his hand as ring energy transferred from him to the box.

"Because Rings are so easy to get, they're not a very good currency...they're usually used by people who are poorer," Seris said as she watched Sonic. "Not too mention that if you keep 'em long enough they kinda just add to your energy, and you can't get them back."

"A social status. Pah." The yellow hedgehog said shaking his head disapprovingly. _You don't even have to worry about that, you're dead!_ Finally, he took his hand off the box, and sighed gathering his groceries.

* * *

"I think something's definitely going to need to change." Fleetway said as they exited the store.

"No one cares," Seris said in reply a slight humorous lilt to her voice, while Maria just rolled her eyes. The impromptu backpack Sonic had made was full, and heavy. The bags that hung on Sonic's arms threatened to pull the poor boy to the ground at any moment, but he began to walk back to the plane anyway.

His charcoal eyes stared forward as he walked through Dornstead. _Stop thinking about it._ The Walkman. The Music. _Shut up. Shut up. Shut up._ He closed his eyes briefly in frustration.

"You okay?" Maria asked softly, not pushing.

'No.' He replied just as quiet. _I don't want to remember. I don't want to look back._

"Well-" Maria trailed off as a sudden bang echoed from across the street. The Guardians glanced at each other, and Sonic's ears twitched. A garbage can rolled onto the street as two dog Mobians, about the same the age of Sonic started pushing another mobian, a fox to the ground.

The one on the left, spat on the fox's face. "Heh, look at 'im he just a little wimp." Sonic narrowed his eyes.

"He's a _freak_ , what do you except?" _Oh, no, that's it._ He bared his teeth, dropping his bags quickly. He ran towards the bullies, going from nothing to insanely fast in a matter of seconds. His fist flew into the one closest to him. The other Mobian was knocked off his feet, clutching his jaw.

"Man, what the hell?" The other said, looking from his friend then to Sonic. He looked ready to retaliate until his eyes widened, and he took a step back. "What the…? Dude, you just got punched by-" The other's eyes were also wide, and it was then Sonic noticed that the dog's mouth was a bit bloody.

"Let's get out of here!" He squealed, scrambling to his feet. The other quickly followed, both of them frantically running into the alleyway. _That'll teach 'em. Heh._ It was satisfying, and Sonic allowed himself a small smirk. He then sighed and turned to the fox.

The kid was small and brightly colored with an orangey-yellow. His eyes were wide, and his mouth slightly ajar as the hedgehog offered his hand to him. Out of the corner of his eye, Sonic saw Seris whisper something to Maria, but he ignored them. What Sonic saw in this kid was something special, that twinkle in his eye oddly familiar.

The fox hesitated but took his hand. When he was on his feet, Sonic saw why the two bullies had taken it out on the younger. He had two tails. _Just covering up their own insecurities, because this kid has a physical difference._ The thought made him sick.

"Uh," The kid's voice was quiet, nervous almost, "T-Thanks." Sonic nodded. _This is the part where I'm supposed to talk, right? Ah crap._

"Oh no! You dropped your bags for me! I'm so sorry!" He rushed over to the fallen groceries, and Sonic watched with raised eyebrows as the kid seemed to almost hover. His tails spun in a way that he'd never seen before. Not that he had seen many people with two tails.

The fox picked up one of the bags, and that's when Sonic noticed how thin the kid was as well. "I'm really sorry, you didn't have to drop these for me!" _Are those his ribs? Chaos…_

Sonic opened his mouth, then shut it again as the kid dropped one of the bags.

"I'm-" The kid shut his eyes in frustration. _Come on Sonic, you can do this._ Determined, he opened his mouth. A raspy sound came out, and Sonic silently cursed.

"You can do it," Maria said quietly. _Oh right, they're still here._ Sighing, he tried again.

"A-re," He cleared his throat, "Are you okay?" He asked finally, voice still raspy. He was proud anyway. The fox's head snapped up, almost instantly.

"Y-Yeah…" He replied quietly, awe in his eyes. Sonic walked over to him, picking up the heaviest of the bags.

"You wanna help me carry these? I understand if you won't want to." _My voice...is so quiet...so unused…_ The fox smiled and picked up the bags left.

* * *

The Guardians trailed behind the two Mobians as they made their way to the plane. Maria was giddily smiling, and Seris had a wistful smile. Fleetway, however, was frowning, arms crossed. Sonic paid no mind to them, attention on the fox. _There's something special about this kid. That look in his eye...I've seen it...I know I have._

When the Tornado finally came into their view, in all her brilliant glory, the fox's mouth dropped to the floor. "I know, it's an eyesore." Sonic joked, a slight grin at the corners of his mouth.

"Never!" The fox's tails spun in agitation. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"You can go look at her if you like." He replied. The fox hesitated but then setting the groceries down he rushed to the plane, looking over every inch. _Calling him just the fox, or the kid is getting tiring._ His twin tails seemed to spin and lift him off the ground so he could get a better view. _Hmm...tails...Tails...Tails…_ The nickname locked in place, Sonic brought the groceries closer to the plane, eyes bright as 'Tails' rushed around the plane.

"He's a sweet kid," Seris said, startling the young hedgehog.

'Yeah. He is.' Seris glanced at him, as he watched 'Tails' admire the plane.

"I think you should keep him." She said, toying with a teal bead.

" _ABSOLUTELY_ _NOT!_ " Fleetway scowled, popping out of nowhere.

"Oh hush." Seris placed a finger on the angry hedgehog's mouth, a teasing grin on her face. Sonic ignored the two, walking over to 'Tails'.

"So, Mr. Sonic," 'Tails' said shyly, "Did you build it?"

"Well," _Wait a minute._ "Uh…wait, I didn't even tell you my name." 'Tails' looked agape. The twinkle in his charcoal eyes sparked brighter.

"Are you kidding? You're _the_ Sonic the Hedgehog!" He spread his arms wide, "You were cool before you beat up that nasty Robotnik dude! You're so fast, and you have a plane! I mean- Do you even know who you are!" As he talked he got more enthusiastic.

Sonic smirked, putting his hands on his hips, "Seem's I have a fan."

"Ah!" He retracted back into his shy shell, a tinge of embarrassment at the edges of his eyes. Maria flew around him, circling several times.

"He's cute. But, uh, Sonic, we don't even know his name."

'I was getting to that,' He replied, and then to 'Tails' "So, do you have a name, or do I have to keep calling you Tails?"

"Tails?" The kid questioned stiffly, which made him realize he had never verbalized the name. _Chaos, am I that disconnected?_

"That's what I've been calling you in my head." When the kitsune realized Sonic had no ill-intent towards his oddity, he relaxed.

"Oh...that's cool. But, my name...well maybe you should just keep calling me, uh, Tails." He shrugged.

Sonic and Maria raised their eyebrows. "Really? I can't imagine how Tails can be any better than your real name."

"Coming from a kid named Sonic!" Seris quipped. Ignoring her, Sonic focused his attention on the kitsune.

"Oh believe me it is...it's embarrassing." Sonic exhaled. _If I can just get him to trust me._ Then after a moment of thinking, a lightbulb went off. Albeit, he was a bit nervous sending a look towards the Guardians, but...he'd do it anyway.

"You're not the only one with an embarrassing name." 'Tails' raised an eyebrow at him skeptically. "Hey, it's true!" Sonic grinned.

"Sonic?" Maria grinned as well, perhaps seeing his plan.

"If I tell you my real name...you tell me yours, and hey, you can still call me Sonic, and if you want I can still call you 'Tails', so, it's even."

"Well," He hesitated for a moment, "It won't hurt anything I suppose." _Wow, he actually is gonna do it…_ A brief wave of anxiety washed over him.

"My name… is" He hesitated, _I'm not him anymore...:_ _I believe in you,:_ "Maurice." _Thanks, Doc…_

"Maurice?" The kid repeated, testing the name.

"Yeah...Maurice...I think my last name was Ogilvie...I think?"

Fleetway sneered, "So embarrassing. You don't even know what true embarrassment _is_." Seris didn't need to even glare at him, because Sonic retaliated with a strong look, albeit briefly.

"That's, not actually a bad name." The kid replied.

"I do prefer Sonic, though." Then silently to the Guardians, 'I'm not that comfortable with it these days.'

"Okay, now it's my turn I guess, heh," The kid took a deep breath, and then, "MynameisMilesPrower." The blue hedgehog stared at him trying to process what he'd just said. "Uh…" A bit embarrassed the kid closed his eyes, and then said a bit slower, "My name is Miles Prower."

"Miles Prower, huh." Sonic liked the way it sounded, but there was something off about it.

"Oh, my dear Chaos. This poor child has a pun of a name." The echidna said suddenly, eyes wide.

Miles smiled, ashamed, "I know, it's a pun. Miles-Per-Hour, Miles Prower. It's stupid."

"It's unique." Sonic countered.

"And stupid," Miles replied.

Stubbornly, then Sonic said, "Well, _I_ like it, even if you don't." Miles was silent for a moment, biting his lip, looking at the blue hedgehog.

"Will you keep calling me Tails?"

"Sure, whatever makes you comfortable. Now, Tails," Surprised that Sonic had already started using it, he straightened up, "Are you hungry?" Tails eyed the groceries and shook his head.

"No, no, I couldn't possibly-"

"Denial!" Sonic interjected, "Which means you're hungry!" Sonic digged through the heaviest bag, pulling out something, "Happenstance is, I just you know, _happened_ to come across this gorgeous watermelon, and just _happened_ to buy it, and just _happened_ to decide to share it." Maria giggled when Tails eyes got wider, darting from Sonic to the watermelon, and back again. Reaching into the cockpit of the plane, Sonic pulled out the emergency bowie knife. _Well, it's not an emergency, but. Well._

He cut the watermelon cleanly, revealing it's juicy red interior. Tails' eyes got wide, and his mouth seemed to water. He gave one half of the melon to the kitsune and pulled a fork also out of a compartment in the cockpit.

"He just has everything is there." Commented Seris humorously. The younger of the two mobians launched ravenously into the melon, while the other idly cut pieces of his with the knife.

"I'm so jealous I'm not alive right now. That looks so good." Maria dramatically groaned, eyeing the watermelon.

"There's a trick to that. I'll show you later." Replied the echidna, patting the girl on the back.

'Trick?'

"Later."

* * *

After Tails had finished his half, and what was left of Sonic's. The blue hedgehog was quiet, mostly, and had started a fire as the wind was cold. It would be winter soon, and luckily at the island, it would still be warm. Tails was quiet too at first, but soon he began recounting some of his life, and how he had come to know of the blue hedgehog.

"My, uh, mom, was kinda sick and died when I was real little. And my dad, well he didn't- He- Uh...didn't have time to mourn, I guess? He wasn't ready to be a dad." Sonic was silent, his own memories of the past swarming in the back of his mind.

"I...ran away...my dad's fine now. I went and checked on him awhile ago. He… went back to college, 's getting his life back on track."

"That's…" The young hedgehog was at a loss for words? What was he to say? _At least he has some family that's still alive._

"It's fine, I'm okay with it...besides my dad would've never supported my hobby." Tails was indifferent about it, he'd come to terms with his situation. _What kinda hobby does this kid have that his own dad wouldn't support._

"Your...hobby?"

"I-" He hesitated, charcoal eyes darting to his hands, "I'm an inventor! An engineer! I love learning, I take apart everything! And I can put it back together better than it was before!" His voice rose as he spoke, prideful and excited.

"Uh, huh...how old did you say you were?"

"Eight. You?"

"Uh...te-f-fifteen."

"You're bluffing."

Meanwhile, Seris said, "I like this kid, he's smart."

"You should keep him!" Maria said jumping slightly. 'Keep saying that, and maybe-maybe...'

The echidna smiled fondly and glanced to the hedgehog and the fox. "How old are you actually, kid?"

'Ten.' Maria laughed lightly.

"You're kidding!" She said and went to punch him in the shoulder. Her fist passed through his shoulder, a frown coming to her face. To Tails, this whole situation had been the hedgehog going quiet, which...probably wasn't unusual.

"And you know," Tails said, putting a finger to his chin thoughtfully, "I am _kinda_ a fan. I used to follow you around."

Sonic raised an eyebrow, "It wasn't stalking- heh! Really it wasn't, just...you ran past me in a forest once, and...well, heh. And then one time, I saw you napping under this plane on a beach...but...It was always just faraway admiring. I never talked to you. You were so cool! And now you're even cooler since you beat that Robotnik guy."

"I uh...thanks. I-" He cut himself off, simply smiling. "So engineering? Hmm...you like my plane then?"

"Very much so!"

"Would you like me to teach you how to fly it?" Tails' eyes were the size of dinner plates.

* * *

It was an accident really, he hadn't meant for any of this to happen. Sonic had gone and taught him the basic mechanics of the plane, and how to fly it the rest of the day. Tails was a quick learner, but although he was a genuine genius he was still a kid. It was amazing how mechanical things could click in his brain.

He'd had him flying by the end of the day, the setting sun gleaming on the plane's wings. Seris and Maria had cheered when Tails had set off flying. There was one hitch though. There was only one seat; and Sonic being the daredevil he contrived the idea to stand on one of the wings. _While_ flying. At least he had never claimed to be the brightest bulb in the box. And somehow, it worked and he didn't die. Dying would've been bad.

He had planned to get Tails back, but...things didn't quite work like that. He'd directed him back to the island, smiling widely the whole time. The fox had gasped at the ramp, and was excited about the whole place. Sonic fixed up some ramen for dinner and was _smiling_ the whole time, Tails talking about his ideas, and Maria watching him cook with a watchful eye. She seemed to long for food, but being dead. Well, he certainly didn't have any answers, and he wasn't exactly sure what Seris had meant by 'trick'.

By the time Sonic had given the kitsune a tour, cooked dinner, and had a general good time, the sun was setting. The day had flown by, and with it brought a wave of exhaustion over the younger of the two boys. The hedgehog fixed a bed up in one of the two bedrooms, and by the time Tails hit the pillow, he passed out. And frankly, Sonic himself was really exhausted. But, in a good way.

He walked back to his booth, wrapped a blanket around himself, and slept.

* * *

"This is unbelievable!" Fleetway growled as Sonic entered white space. _Oof, who put arsenic in your cereal this morning?_

"What is?" Sonic lazily raised an eyebrow at the elder hedgehog.

"Fleetway doesn't like the fact you're keeping the kid. Kid." Seris responded, sitting with a leg crossed over her lap on thin air.

"Which, of course, I think is a brilliant idea!" Maria jumped in, smiling wide. The blue hedgehog gestured for them to slow down.

"Now hold on, he's a person, I'm not _keeping_ him."

Maria squealed in delight, "You're totally keeping him!" Fleetway clenched his teeth and fists, anger boiling.

"Maybe if you two didn't egg him on!" He looked ready to snap, " _We wouldn't be in this situation._ "

Sonic himself was hanging by a string, "Wait, hold on. Who said this was a bad thing?" The yellow hedgehog glared at him. His hazelnut eyes seemed to burn a startling crimson and was it just him, or did those pearly whites of his seem sharper?

"I did. Getting attached to someone is the last thing you need to do as a Guardian."

"Now, Fleets," Seris said, eyes narrowed cautiously.

"Don't you 'Fleets', me! My name is Fleetway, and I expect to be called by that."

"Well _, Excuse_ me, Princess!" she scoffed in return, frowning.

"Sonic. You can't-" Fleetway was cut off by the smaller hedgehog.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" He yelled, stepping forward angrily, " This is my life, and I'm not about to leave Tails on the street! So stop backseat driving, or get the hell out of the car!"

"I-" Charcoal eyes burned, while crimson ones faded back to hazelnut.

"I don't know what happened in your life that caused you to be like this Fleetway. But. This isn't your life. This is **mine**. So get a better attitude, or leave me alone. You can comment and advise, but the final decision is mine." Fleetway's eyes darted back from Sonic to the other two, then back again. The younger hedgehog was breathing heavily staring pointedly at the ground.

"I-." He cut himself off this time. When Sonic looked up, the yellow hedgehog was gone.

"Is he?" Sonic's voice cracked as he calmed down. Maria's eyes were wide.

"He's gonna be fine, sweetheart. He deserved that." Seris said, patting Sonic on the shoulder.

"I don't understand why he's like that." The human girl said absentmindedly.

"He's been betrayed by people he's grown close to."

"Huh?" Sonic's eyes widened. _That would explain some things._

Seris closed her eyes, "I won't say anything more than that. It's not my life. If he wants to open up he can."


	3. Little Steps

"Sonic! Sonic, wake up!" The blue hedgehog's eyes fluttered in the darkness as he sat up. The plastic of his booth creaked under him as he rubbed his face. "What…? Is it?" Tails, who had stepped back from him to let him sit up, didn't reply. When Sonic's eyes came into focus he noticed the red rim's of the fox's eyes.

"Tails?" A concerned note entered his voice.

"Ask him what's wrong." Seris said watching from across the room. He didn't flinch at her voice, simply eyeing her for a split second.

"Tails, buddy? What's-" He didn't finish as a bolt of lightning and a crash of thunder sent the fox into the air as he jumped. A fresh wave of tears spilled over onto his orange fur.

Sonic panicked, looked to Seris. 'What do I-'

"Take him into your arms, kid, hold him tight until he's calm...ish." The echidna replied flatly, sitting on the kitchen island. Sonic looked back to Tails, taking the younger in his arms. Without any instruction he began to sooth the child, rocking him back and forth, cooing in his head.

A second wave of thunder washed over the place, the dim lights over the stove flickering. Sonic wasn't exactly sure how long they stayed there, but after awhile, Tails pulled away, sniffling. "I'm sorry." He mumbled, rubbing at his eyes frustratedly.

"Hey, it's fine, buddy. Can I trust you alone for a second?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine…" His eyes got wide, "But you're coming right back? Right?"

"Of course." _I'd never leave you alone like this. Never._ He rushed out of the kitchen/living area, looking back once just to make sure the kitsune was alright with him leaving. He rushed to the "his" bedroom, the one he never used, instead sleeping in his restaurant booth. It was dark, as he went directly to the bookshelf. He ran his hands over the bindings of the book. 'Which one is it!?'

"You want that one." Maria said appearing beside him, and pointing.

'Thanks,' He replied giving her a thumbs up, and taking the book and wiping a layer of dust off the front cover. He returned to Tails, Maria left behind.

She gave a stern look to her right, "You should talk to him. You have to admit that Tails is a pretty cool little guy. He can take care of himself." She waited for a second, then exasperatedly rolled her eyes.

"Suit yourself." She floated out of the room as she usually did, then paused. Her feet lowered to the floor, and turned around. "It's been nearly a month, you can't avoid him forever." Then she turned and left the room, feet lifting off the floor to resume floating.

* * *

"The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle...Volume One? Uh, Sonic." The young fox was clearly perplexed by the book that Sonic was presenting.

"Shush and sit down. I can hear a tremble in your voice." As if to back him up, a low rumble echoed, causing Tails to shiver. They got comfortable in the booth, wrapping the blankets between them.

"I'm going to read to you. Assuming you haven't read these?"

"I mean I've heard of him." _Who hasn't? He's iconic._ Sonic smirked, propping the book on his lap, as he moved his feet to the table.

"Then let's begin… 'A Study in Scarlet'- " _In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army…"_ "

* * *

Sonic blinked as he entered white-space, the feeling still so unfamiliar, yet was not so much anymore that he found himself startled. He spied Seris and Maria playing a game of checkers a few yards away from him. He waited a couple seconds just to make sure he wasn't about to be jolted out of sleep then walked towards the women.

They were sitting cross-legged, a board between them. Maria had an intense look on her face, which was uncharacteristic of her, and Seris seemed in thought as well, but obviously about something else. Sonic wasn't sure what, but he could just... _tell_ that Seris was thinking of something else.

"Hey kid." She said glancing up at him. "Is Toaster better, now?" His eyes crinkled at the nickname that Seris had bestowed on Tails. Ever Since he had taken apart the toaster, and had littered the parts across the kitchen table, Seris was sure that it was going to explode. All of them (Except for Fleetway who had been MIA ever since 'the fight') were pleasantly surprised.

Before he could respond, Maria still deep in thought said, "Toast. Mmmmm." Sonic still wasn't exactly sure what the trick was that allowed the Guardians to taste what he tasted, but Maria was enjoying it thoroughly. Finally getting out of her thoughts, she looked to the Mobians. "Uh, sorry? I'm kinda out of it today."

Continuing, Sonic said, "I don't know, I fell asleep. Though he was nodding off too. I don't know, sleep makes everything blur, ya' know."

"Toaster has been sniffling lately, still planning on taking him to Little Planet?"Seris said in reply. Maria finally made her move, only for her opponent to immediately usurp it.

"Augh! Seris!" She fell on her side, holding her hands to a fake wound on her chest.

"Little Planet?" Sonic continued putting a hand to his chin. _What...oh wait._ They had found out about the curiosity when they had gone to the mainland, not after long Tails had moved in. They had gone to get supplies for his hobby that weren't already at home, and had found a newspaper detailing it. It was a small article, but enough to get both boys plus the Guardians interested. And so, they had planned on seeing the Planet that only came once every year for only a single month. The end of this month was drawing to a close, and they had planned on going as soon as it was over.

"Well, as long as he's alright we'll still go. If not, I suppose we'll have to compromise, since well, he's been looking forward to it-"

"And you don't want to disappoint him." Seris finished.

"You took the words out of my mouth, Ser." He said chuckling nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"You have to make tough choices, especially as a parent, kid."

…

 _PARENT!?_

His black eyes shrunk to pinpoints, as he repeated the thought aloud. "Seris, I'm not his...Dad? If anything I view him more as a brother, That's ridiculous, why would you even say that!?" Maria stifled a laugh from behind her hand, but after a sharp look from Sonic, she burst out, robust laughter filling white space.

"Relax, kiddo. It's fine. Just an offhand comment." Sonic let out a breath he wasn't sure he knew he was holding.

"Sorry. I-" His train of thought was broken off as, he glanced at Maria, who was grinning at him widely. "What are you looking at?" He snapped, his eyes-half lidded.

"Nothing, It's just...When we first met you I was so scared that you were gonna be a grump just like Fleetway. One-Dimensional and all that." Sonic grinded his teeth.

"I'm _nothing_ like him." He growled, crossing his arms, "You're only saying that because we're both hedgehogs." Maria cocked her head sideways and squinted at him. And kept staring. And Staring... so intense was her staring that Sonic took a half-step back, a sweatdrop forming on his temple. _How long is she gonna keep this up?_

Finally, the human relented, shrugging, "Okay." Sonic blinked.

"Really...you're just giving that up so easily…?"

"Yup." _And yet that glint in her eyes says something else entirely._ The azure hedgehog glanced back at Seris and was surprised to find she wasn't watching the situation with a look of humor on her face. Instead, she seemed to be ignoring them entirely. In her hands was a piece of paper, and she appeared to be writing on it.

"Uh, yeah, um. What's that?" He asked feeling dumb.

"It's a list of books you and Toaster should read. Either just you, or just him or," She shrugged, "Both of you at the same time, like Sherlock Holmes."

"Okay...but I can't take this piece of paper with me Seris? Have you forgotten that?" A twitch entranced his eyebrow. "The fact that maybe this white-space is literally NOT PHYSICAL!" He aimed his shout away from the two women and into the blankness of the seemingly eternal place. Finally he sighed, "Sorry, I'm just punchy tonight, I guess. Got pent-up energy."

When he turned to Seris, she was smirking. "Maria, wanna learn another trick? One that I never even got to use on you? At least...directly..." The human girl shot up, literally into the air. Cartoonishly she used her arms to try and push herself forward mid-air, only to leave her floating in the same place. Finally she let her feet fall to the floor, grin wide.

"Uh…" Sonic put his hands up defensively, not sure if he was going to like this.

"Relax kiddo," the echidna said rolling up the piece of paper, "After all, everything here, including you," She gave him a very pointed look, "Is literally, _not physical._ " Sonic flushed as she called back to his shouting. _Well now I just look like a hypocrite or something, don't I?_

Then she turned her gaze to Maria, "Like I've said before, sweetheart. Everything about this has to use thinking. You want something to happen. Project it! How do you think you do your whole floaty thing, anyhoo?" Without waiting for a reply she continued.

"But, if it's too hard to just project your thoughts to our friend Sonic here, you can just." Seris tapped the scroll on Sonic's forehead. And as if he wasn't there at all pushed it into his head. Sonic blinked.

"What…? Did you just-" As if out of nowhere, a list of Book Titles filled his brain. The hedgehog clutched his head.

"Everything okay, kiddo?" A look of real, but albeit not very serious concern filled her face.

"Yeah, I just think I'm having an existential crisis."

Seris chuckled softly, and then said to Maria, "He's fine."

"Agh, you guys better warn me if you just, I dunno, transmit it to me." He replied, eyes flickering between the both of them.

"Too bad, everything we are is literally transmitted to you." Seris teased poking him in the shoulder. He flinched a bit harder than he should of, rubbing his shoulder. _Geez, pull yourself together. Overacting, much?_

"You know what I mean." He said with a roll of his eyes. Then he just as he was about to continue his thoughts, he paused.

Sonic smelled Toast.

* * *

Charcoal eyes blinked open, everything slowly coming into focus. Specifically the ceiling. A smell of freshly slightly burnt bread swarmed the air. AkA, Toast. Which meant one thing, Tails was up. He was an early-riser. _That explains why the spot next to me feels so cold._

As he got up, he slipped his shoes on, clasping the buckles, he shot a glance towards the fox. He was busying himself around the kitchen, and had just gotten a pan and some eggs out. Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, Sonic made his way over to the counter. Leaning over it, he made no sound, not finding the right energy to. Finally Tails turned, but was startled, his twin tails launching into the air, as he put a hand to his chest.

"You scared me."

"Sorry." _I do that sometimes._ He eyed the cooking supplies, then returned his glance to the kitsune.

"Oh, that." Tails said, picking up on his silent question. "I thought I'd start on breakfast. I mean, you are a late-sleeper, so. I calculated the time you would get up, and," He shrugged, "honestly, I was getting hungry, and tired of waiting."

"Well, thanks. I appreciate it. For both our sakes."

"Heh...Well you're just in time to let me know what type of eggs you want." Tails replied turning to the pan.

"Whatever's easiest."

"That's literally not what I was- Okay. Fine. I was gonna make scrambled anyway."

"It's fine. Really, Tails." Sonic said chuckling in reply. Cocking an eyebrow at him, Sonic leaned over the counter, slightly on his tiptoes to actually get more than just a centimeter of his arms on it.

"You know what's good about living on an island, when a storm hits?" He said, almost eager in response.

"Uhh...nothing?" The fox said, a sarcastic glint in his eyes.

"Seashells." Sonic said as if nothing had been replied, "Seashells wash up on the shore. After we're done with breakfast, that's what we're doing. Seashell hunting." Tails gave his a disbelieving look, accompanied by several slow blinks.

"It's fun. Trust me."

* * *

"AHh! Sonic look! There's a crab over here!"

'That's nice Maria.' He spared a quick glance at the girl, standing in the knee-deep water of the shore. The effects of the water didn't affect her, but she had tossed her shoes onto the beachfront, in an effort to replicate a beach feel.

"You should try going in the water!" She shouted at him from across the shore. "I can't feel it, if you don't do it."

'Uhhhh.' He turned his attention to the waves, which were rather big, almost urged on by the blustery wind. 'I don't go underwater if I have to, Maria.' She shrugged in reply after giving him a questioning look.

"Achoo!" The loud sound caused Sonic to be startled. He turned to the source of the sound, Tails. He rubbed his irritated nose. "Uh oh." _That's a lot of snot._ And if he wasn't mistaken Tails' eyes seemed spaced out. He was definitely sick.

'Uh, guys!? What do I do?' Seris appeared next to him, and in a quick glance to Tails, immediately set out giving orders.

"Check his forehead for a fever, make sure you splay the hairs apart to get to the skin. Then ask about symptoms." Sonic blinked.

"What are you waiting for, kid? Go. Go help your brother." As not to endure the rage of Seris, Sonic hurried over to the two-tailed mobian.

"Hey, buddy. I'm gonna check you for a fever, okay?" Tails nodded, snot running thickly down his nose, as he fruitlessly tried to wipe it off. He gently pressed his hand to the fox's forehead. As no surprise, it was hot to the touch. "Uh, how you feeling?" His voice rose in pitch as he realized how awkward the question was.

"Really Hot." Tails replied quietly.

"Okay that's enough symptoms for now!" He swooped the young mobian into his arms and carried him back inside. _This hit him like a train...I mean he's been sniffly lately, but I just thought it was seasonal allergies...Oh geez-_ 'What if he dies!?'

"Kiddo." Seris said softly, "He probably just has a bad cold."

* * *

Bad was an understatement. For the next week and a half, Tails sniffled, with a fever that couldn't hold a temperature. One moment, he would be shivering, the next so hot, Sonic thought he saw steam coming off of him. When his fever finally broke, Tails was exhausted, and still just as sniffly. His nose was raw from rubbing it so much, but he could finally get a good night sleep.

Sonic had been in a flurry of various emotions ever since Tails had gotten sick. In seconds he'd go from worry, to frustration, and back again. And there was one thing he hadn't forgotten either. He wasn't stupid. He knew that Seris had referred to Tails as his _brother._ The very word brought up painful notions of the past, and anxiety about the future. _Still it's better than her calling me his dad...I guess._ He'd pondered to himself about this, but he didn't bring it up with Seris. He had another matter more distressing at hand. The month had turned over and into a new.

He clenched his teeth at not going and disappointing Tails. That's the last thing he wanted to do. Sure there was the whole month, but...he wanted to get it over with it for one reason.

Robotnik.

While the devil of a man had been silent so far, Sonic got this odd feeling in his chest whenever he thought about him. The monster was planning something. He'd kept this feeling to himself, just in case he was wrong. But, the feeling tugged and pulled at his every waking thought. He'd been silent too long. No newspaper reports. No whispers. Nothing. Sonic had half expected to turn on the radio and hear of a massacre caused by him. But none so far. So...the one chance they had had of going to Little Planet. Gone. Until a whole year later. It just wasn't fair.

At least that's exactly what Tails said when Sonic said he couldn't go. "Why not, Sonic? I'm feeling better now!" He said while sniffling.

"I don't trust that, buddy. I'm sorry but we can't go." A spark appeared in the eyes of the young fox. _Uh oh, he's planning something._

" _We_ can't. But _you_ can."

Sonic spluttered, "Wha-? No, I don't see how that's going to help." He said with a sinking feeling he was going to lose this argument.

"Well, I can. You can buy one of those disposable cameras, you know the one where you get them developed and then they recycle the camera?"

"Uh...but- Tails," He couldn't really find a big flaw in the plan, "You sure you'll be fine on your own?"

"Sure, Sonic. You can trust me, Right?" Tails smiled wide, eyes sparkling up at the taller mobian. Sonic shifted his shoulder uncomfortably, before sighing.

"Yes, I can," He gave Tails what he assumed was a stern look, "Unfortunately."

* * *

'Do you think I'll need to bring like some rope, or something?' Sonic asked glancing over his shoulder to the two women. He held in his hands two disposable cameras and was comparing them.

"Uh...I'm not sure. Why would you even need rope?" Seris said, eyes squinting at the idea.

Maria shrugged and simply asked, "Do General Stores even sell rope?" Sonic sighed, then put the one camera back on the shelf. Grasping the small box tightly his eyes scanned the store.

'Do you think they have like, Protein Bars or something?' He said it quickly, words smashing into one another.

"Kid," Seris said firmly, and she looked as if she was about to put her hand on his shoulder but stopped, since it would pass through, "Calm down. You're not going to be gone for more than a day or two."

'Yeah...but it'll take a miracle to get rid of this bad feeling in my chest.' He thought, his hand that held nothing, tapping against his leg.

"Hey, this town is called Miracle Valley, might as well happen here? Right?" Maria said with her usual optimistic smile. Sonic in response cracked a very small one. Clutching his camera, he turned to go to the cashier, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Daddy! Look! It's Sonic!" It was a young girl's voice, and if he had to admit it, far more annoying than most any he had heard. 'Do I want to know?' He asked the Guardians, inwardly bracing himself for the worse.

Maria's eyes were wide, "Uh, I think you won't have-" Sonic stepped forward as a body rushed and crashed into him, "Much of a choice." Maria finished. Arms were wrapped around his waist, and the hedgehog had to uncomfortably shift his shoulder.

"Rosie!" A deep voice scolded. The arms hesitantly unwound from around him, and he let out a sigh of relief. "I thought I'd taught you better than to attack people with your hugs." Sonic turned slowly to face two Mobians.

Hedgehogs to be exact. The older, the father he assumed, was much taller than him, and 'Rosie' who was about his height.

"Sorry Daddy." She muttered despite the fact her charcoal eyes were kept solidly on Sonic.

The Father was tall, a deep pink the color of his fur and quills. Even though he had charcoal eyes he had a glint of blue in them, suggesting what their color might've been. His gloves were a worn leather brown, and so was his vest, but on his vest it was embroidered with roses. His quills were kept in a ponytail, and his boots were solid work boots.

Rosie was a spitting image of her father, in so many ways and yet so different. Her pink was much lighter, and seemed to shine a little more than her father's quills. She tucked her quills behind a red headband, gaudily clashing with her pinkness. She wore a green polo shirt that seemed a little too big for her, and was tucked into her bright orange skirt. Her knees had rug burns and bruises, and her sneakers were a blue ackin to Sonic's own with orange laces. Sonic didn't know much about fashion, but he was pretty sure this girl was a fashion disaster.

"I'm sorry, son." The man said after a moment, "My daughter just thought you were someone else."

Rosie quit nervously pulling at her gloves and turned to her father, "But, Daddy! He _is_ Sonic the Hedgehog!"

" _Amelia Rose_ " His warning tone sent chills up Sonic's back.

"Geez, he should lighten up...heh, heh…" Maria said just as nervous as he was.

"He's a parent, it's his job." replied Seris, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Geez...maybe _you_ should lighten up, Ser." Sonic still had not said anything and nervously flickered his eyes between the two hedgehogs. Their eyes stared back into him.

"I," His voice seemed week, and his mouth dry, "I gotta go,"

He barely remembers checking out.

* * *

Sonic ran. Dashing through the valley, by trees, rocks... _everything_. He dashed swiftly through an area of trees, going so fast as to perform a loop-de-loop. He propelled himself forward, practically flying. He couldn't count how many rocks he dashed off of, or how fast he was actually going. At one point he was sure he dashed over water, but if you asked him he probably couldn't tell you for sure. His body was moving faster than his mind.

Upon a high peaked rock he paused for a split second, shading his eyes with his hand to get a view of Little Planet. _That doesn't look like any of the pictures I've seen._ He dashed again, rushing towards it. He spotted a chain, hooking the planet to the ground. He was prepared to run up it, but it swung violently due to the Planet's protests. It crashed against a high pillar of rock causing it to crack and fall. He responded with ease, leaping from one piece to another, going up and up and _up_ and _**up**_.

He was flying.

* * *

"There's a lot of Palm Trees here." Maria noted when he finally let his feet rest upon the planets surface. "Especially for a planet covered in metal."

"Yeah, and I have a feeling I know exactly who did it, too." He answered aloud, his own voice quiet in the midst of this happy place. He grabbed the camera from his quills and took exactly 1 picture. Then in his thoughts he addressed the Guardians, 'Try to keep up, guys.' He said popping the camera into his spines.

"Keep up?" Seris asked, "We're in your brain." Sonic rolled his eyes, and revved up into a Super-Peel out, dashing into the bright day.

Palm Tree Panic, as he nicknamed it, was bright and cheery. Which in Sonic's mind was capital A+ suspicious. The entire planet had seemed covered in a metallic shell. 'Quick, what do you guys know about this place?'

The two present Guardians glanced at each other, "To be honest, hotshot, I've never heard about this place until you and your brother found it." _There's that word again,_ Seris was frowning that she couldn't help.

'Okay. Okay. I guess I should just go and maybe we'll see why this place is so...weird.'

He charged through the place and almost tripped over himself when he spotted. 'Badnik!' It was a bug badnik and he didn't even have time to stop as he kept running up a step upward cliff.

"Badnik? Like the Robotnik things?" Seris asked straining to look back as she floated along. Maria said nothing.

'Yeah, that's one of those. I knew it. I just-' He swung past a sign so fast that it flipped and suddenly the ground beneath him dropped away. An array of colors filled his vision as he spiralled and flew.

"What the-? Did I just go on an acid trip?" He asked aloud clutching his knees as he finally landed. Around him Palm Tree Panic was quieter, the lighting subdued. Almost as if it were evening.

"No," Maria said, looking around, "Did you see what that sign said?" When he shook his head, "I think, we just time-traveled. It said in big yellow letters, 'Past'." Her eyes were wide with wonder, and Seris scoffed.

"What, without an emerald, or anything? We just fell into the past?"

"Seris," Maria pleaded, "That's the only thing that makes, well, sense."

The echidna drew her shoulders stiffly up, "There's plenty of things that would make better sense."

'Guys.' Sonic said eyeing them both warily, 'I'm just going to keep running, and you guys can argue away from my earshot.' Both women rolled their eyes at this statement.

* * *

He soon found himself back in the present? Future? It was getting confusing. He had burst some Flickies out of a mini jail in the past and smashed a few Badniks here and there. The badniks for some reason, were powered by flowers instead of Flickies.

He speed through the place, when a flash of pink caught his eye. _Uh, what?_ He stopped and turned facing the direction of the pink.

"Is that?" Maria asked.

'The girl from the store? Yeah...I think so.' The young hedgehog girl ran up to him and tackled him with another hug. It was kinda hard to breath for the other young hedgehog as he suffocated under the pink one's grasp.

"You've definitely got a bigger fan than Tails." Seris said dubious, squinting at her. Sonic wormed his way out of her arms, almost like getting out of a waterslide tube.

"I'm Outta Here." He said solemnly and ran off.

"Youch, talk about rejection, Sonic." Maria said, flying beside him. She absently messed with her right sleeve, and turned onto her back. 'Yeah, well. That's life for you.' He growled back. She squinted back at him and then Seris, who was floating a few paces behind the fast hedgehog. The echidna shrugged in response.

Sonic in his frustration just kept going faster, and faster, anger coursing throughout his entire being. He didn't even notice going into the Special Zone. Maria and Seris seemed to notice though, and yelled as Sonic started to play a game of chase the ufo. When he finally completed it he was awarded with…

"This isn't a Chaos Emerald." The cut of the gem was completely different. It's green glow bright.

"No. It isn't." Seris noted warily, still dizzy.

"What even was that?" The human girl asked, clutching her head.

"Special Zone." Sonic said rolling his eyes, "From what I can figure the Chaos Emeralds, they kinda form a pocket dimension to protect themselves…but there isn't much info on them." He turned the strange stone over in his hands. "Do you guys think this is like a, Time Travel Stone, or something?"

"Time Stone? Never heard of 'em, but then again I didn't even know about this planet either." Seris said toying with her necklace.

"Fleetway would probably know." Maria murmured.

"Yeah, well." Sonic replied stiffly. "We're not-" He cut himself off. 'Nevermind.' He retreated to his own mind's thoughts. _We really have no idea what we're dealing with. Entirely new territory. If only I could just go to the future when all this is finished._ The stone started to glow brightly in his hand, it's shape so unfamiliar when compared to the Chaos Emeralds. Suddenly he was thrown back into the Acid Trip.

* * *

The young hedgehog blinked, his charcoal eyes adjusting to his surroundings. This was Palmtree Panic but it was- A choked sound came out of his throat, tears bubbling in his eyes. "What happened to this place?" Gurgling polluted water, metallic walls and ground. He fell to his knees. A realization coming to him.

 _I failed._

 _I failed._

 _I failed._

"This is my fault." He said choking out the words, tears streaming down his face. He smashed his fists against the cold metallic ground certainly leaving bruises on them. Already a trickle of blood was leaking out of his right glove. He'd split open some of the skin, he was sure. But none of that mattered. None of it would ever matter again.

"I failed. I let him win. I-" _: Such a weight upon such a young man's shoulders. It should be my burden, my brother will never stop.: _ Sonic's shoulder's started heaving as he began to full on sob. He tried to keep his wails silent, failing miserably. His mind had forgotten the good he had done. The Guardians watching wide-eyed, behind him. It didn't matter.

" _Sonic."_ A rough voice with a surprisingly soft tone said, "It's not your fault. You can still fix this."

He gasped out, as a particularly heavy sob stuck him. "Maurice." The voice softly snapped. That got the young mobian's attention. There kneeling in front of him, was Fleetway. His dull-yellow fur seemed brighter than it had. His eyes concerned. "If I could wipe your tears away, I would." He said, avoiding eye contact. "But I can't. I know we had a rough start. But you're the only one who can stop," He gestured around him, "This."

"How?" Sonic shook his head. He couldn't believe this. He had already failed.

"We're in the future. These Time-Stones, I've barely heard of them in scarcely any legend, but I think they've proven their power. The reason you failed _here_. Is because you're not _there_." That actually...made sense. "Dear Chaos." Fleetway murmured, "If I could shelter you under my cloak I would," He gestured to himself, he was now wearing a…

"Fleetway, that's a poncho." The brown shawl-like material covered his upper half, blue embroidery covering the entire thing. It branched out into delicate triangles and flowers.

"If that's what you call it, then so be it." He said softly. "You've got to get back Sonic. Only you can do this." Then with a slight smug smile he said, "You're the one driving the car. And even though I haven't gotten out of the car, I, have decided to let you drive."

Sonic smiled through the tears. Fleetway glanced sheepishly towards the other two Guardians. "Did I do that metaphor, right?"

"Yeah," Sonic answered for them, wiping his eyes"Yeah I think you did." And in that moment the world seemed to still. And everything was okay.

* * *

The Guardians hung back as Sonic sped through the hills of Little Planet. After all this time still keeping his promise and occasionally taking photos for Tails.

"I almost didn't recognize him." Maria said finally. Despite the fact they stayed completely still, the background kept moving around them as the blue hedgehog ran on and on. "The way he took down-" She swallowed.

"Robotnik." Fleetway said. "Sonic said that was just his first attack. If he has more mechanical abominations." He scratched the back of his right ear. "Seeing the memories of his...doesn't come close. I think I might of misjudged him."

"You think?" Seris said stiffly, raising an eyebrow.

"I… haven't been myself since you died Seris. You know that." She nodded, but didn't reply.

"We're going to have to get Sonic to give Robotnik a nickname." Maria said stubbornly, "I don't like the way he says it."

"Well if you tell him-" Fleetway said softly, hazel eyes darting to the girl's blue.

"No. Not yet." She said glancing away. "I'm not ready."

* * *

"Ah, the little Blue _Pest_." Robotnik spat. "I think it's time for a little race, what do you think?" He growled. Sonic took a step back as a Metallic version of him appeared. It's red eyes staring intently at him.

"Does he always do this? Make a Robot version of you?" Sonic nodded absently, fully starting to focus on the task at hand.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Sonic startled from his half-asleep state. He had settled beside a tree just to sit for a moment, but it must have been a bit more, as the sun was not as high as it had been. It was Rosie. She had apparently proceeded to follow him after he had saved Little Planet. Which also reminded him, that he had _saved_ Little Planet. When he didn't reply Rosie laughed lightly.

"Hello? Anybody in there?" She waved her hand in from of his face.

He gripped her hand, and looked her over"You're acting differently." He said blankly.

"What do you mean?" She asked, smiling. Fleetway scoffed, and even laughed a little. _Who are you and what have you done with Fleetway?_

"You're definitely less...gropy." Rosie rolled her eyes, and put her hands on hips, orange skirt fluttering in the breeze. Her entire demeanour, and aura was different. Less fan-girly to say the least.

"Well, I was a little excited. You're Sonic the Hedgehog, and the tarot cards told me you were my true love." She said with hearts in her eyes. There was something in the way she said it, that Sonic got the feeling she was doing it just to get on his nerves.

"Is that so?" Sonic deadpanned. She sighed in reply, and shrugged.

"Well, actually it was a 'destined' meeting, not true love. But I figured it was _implied_." Sonic couldn't exactly say it was definate, but he was sure he heard a bit of humor in the young girl's voice.

"Ask her about the reason why she was on the Planet, since we already met her in the store." Maria said, eyeing Rosie suspiciously. _Even Maria is wary of this girl._ He repeated the question.

"Oh yeah," She said, suddenly embarrassed, "Well I had already asked my dad about going to Little Planet, I hadn't counted on that. Look." She said pointedly, her charcoal eyes intensely staring into his, "Let's start over. I'm Amelia Rose." She stuck out her hand, waiting for Sonic to do his part.

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," He took her hand and gave her a firm, quick shake, "But you already know that _Rosie_." She withdrew her hand, a mock disgusted look on her face.

"Don't call me that, Only my dad calls me that." She said, trying to look angry, but ended in a smile. "Look, to make up for me being a total and utter creep, come to my house for dinner, and-" She looked to his knees, "Let me fix up those rug-burns. If you don't clean them up, they'll get infected." He looked to his knees.

Sure enough, serious rug burns covered his entire knees. They were also covered in dirt, and bits of grass. While he was sure that he could clean up the chafing up by himself, it couldn't hurt to get someone else to do it. "On one condition, you don't act like whatever you were acting like...and a spare bedroom? I should go home, but I am bone-tired. And I need at least an hour of sleep."

She grinned in delight. "Cool. Come on, my house isn't far from here." He looked around. They were in the forest. Without waiting, Rosie began to skip through the forest, chattering about their experience at Little Planet.

"She seems like a nice girl." Seris noted absentmindedly.

"Not his type, though." Maria said, with a perfectly serious face before bursting out in laughter. 'Hey, shut up.' He sent a glare towards her. Then relenting he said, 'You're right, but shut up.'

"Sorry," She said clutching her stomach having doubled over in laughter, "You guys are just so _cute_." He blushed at the teasing. 'I'm not cute.'

"I wouldn't say that." Fleetway cut in. Sonic's would've hung open disbelievingly. The stoic Fleetway. _Teasing?_ No way.

By the time Sonic got over his embarrassment, they were at Rosie's house. Nestled in a clearing of the forest, the house seemed like a normal one story home. Brightly painted yellow, flowers growing everywhere. It seemed very quaint. She led her fellow hedgehog to the door, except… "Is that a carpet?" He asked incredulously. As if he was asking the most stupid question in the world, Rosie turned to face him, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Of course." She said, the glare as fierce as a tiger's. She pushed aside the carpet, leading him inside. He was surprised when the carpet hit him on the shoulder, and winced. It was _heavy_.

"They can take the doors down for easy ventilation on nice days." Seris said absentmindedly. Though she only shrugged when Sonic shot her a look of disbelief.

"Here. Sit." Rosie said, pointing towards the couch. He hesitated but sank into the depth of the cushions. The young pink mobian returned holding a first-aid kit. Holding an alcohol swab, she began dabbing at the skin at his knees. It stung, but it was also nice how the alcohol left his knees feeling an unearthly cold. As he leaned into the cushions of the couch, he felt his eyes struggling to stay open.

By the time Rosie was done with the first-aid, the blue hedgehog had fallen asleep.

* * *

"I truly am sorry, Sonic." Fleetway said quietly. Sonic's eyes darted around white-space. The other two Guardians were nowhere in sight. "I asked them to give us a moment alone." Fleetway said, seeing his confusion.

"No." Sonic said softly, "You shouldn't have to be." His eyes bore holes into the ground.

"What?" The elder hedgehog said, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"You shouldn't _have_ to be sorry," Sonic said, eyes darting to meet Fleetway's. Fleetway's eyes swam with a rich hazelnut brown, hints of red mixed in. Sonic noted that they didn't seem to have as much red as they used to have. "You were just doing what you would've done for yourself. That is how you see me right?"

"I-" Fleetway seemed startled.

"You were the first, right?" Sonic interrupted, pointedly tapping his foot. Though he hadn't meant to sound so impatient, he couldn't help but sound that way.

"Yes." The yellow hedgehog said, folding his arms under the cloth of his poncho.

"So you didn't have a former Guardian to guide you," Sonic said, even though he already knew the answer, "And while the two girls were largely different from you...you saw in me...yourself."

The yellow hedgehog was silent for a moment. He sighed, letting his eyes fall close. "Yes." He said without opening his eyes, "I saw myself. In you. That is...certain. But." He opened his eyes, and they seemed to alight like a golden sun, "How could I not? A frustrated young hedgehog, trying to find his place in the world?" He held a smirk now.

Sonic shrugged in response. "Exactly, that's why it wasn't your fault." The younger hedgehog prepared to turn away, when a hand caught him on the shoulder.

"I shouldn't have opposed your decisions so strongly. This isn't my life, it's yours." Sonic himself let out a sigh, and turned, peering up at the taller Mobian.

"Truce?" Sonic held out his hand. And to his surprise, Fleetway actually smiled.

"Truce."

* * *

Sonic jolted awake, falling off the couch in the process. _Real smooth, and graceful, princess._ He chided himself, getting off the floor. The early morning light of dawn flitted through the curtains of Rosie's living room. He hesitated, looking round the room, to see if anyone was there, and made his way to the window. Peering through the curtain, he saw a truly magnificent sight.

The rising sun cast rays of orange, yellow, red, and gold upon the forest. Each pine-needle on every tree seemed to be alight, and each flower's color was subtly shifted to a warmer tone.

"It's...beautiful." The soft whisper came from Maria. He didn't reply. He didn't need to. Finally, he pried himself away from the sight, blinking turned back to the much darker room. Perhaps if he was careful, he could sneak away and as to not bother anyone. He went to the front...carpet, and paused. His ears flicked backward at a harsh sound. A very...heavy...clanging sound.

"Is everything alright?" Maria asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't reply, listening, and starting to follow the direction of the sound. Down a hallway and to another carpet-way. He went to pull the carpet back. What he was shocked to see, made him blink just to process.

He felt he'd just traveled back in time. This was...by all appearances, A Blacksmith's shop. _Woah._ There was a furnace, with hot coals of all sorts hanging on the wall. An _anvil._ It was obvious now that the source of the clanging noise was Rosie's father, who was banging away at a piece of metal. The light from the hot red metal flashed in his robotic orange goggles which he wore over his eyes.

Though Sonic had not said a word, the man stiffened, realizing someone was watching him. He dipped the metal in a trough of water, steam coming off of it, and then set it aside. He pushed his goggles up to his forehead, his face dirtied around the spots where the goggles had _not_ been.

"Come in." He said, gesturing to a stool by the desk in the corner. Sonic eyeing him warily, walked to the stool, pushing himself off the ground to get on in.

"You saved my daughter's life." It wasn't a question. Perhaps at the wide-eyed look Sonic was giving, he amended, "That's not a bad thing."

"I'm Cedar." He said, his voice warm.

"He sounds exactly how someone whose name is Cedar should sound." Maria said, grinning.

"I'm Sonic. But...I take it you already knew that...from your daughter." Sonic said awkwardly. Cedar nodded, confirming, untying his leather apron and hanging it up.

"Yes." He said, raising an eyebrow at the solemn Sonic. The older hedgehog pulled up his own stool. He ran his hand through the ponytail, "I told Rosie that we should let you sleep. You looked exhausted."

"Yeah...Thanks. I guess. I mean. I do appreciate it." _Why am I always so awkward…_

"That is a very interesting...clan mark you have there." Cedar said gesturing to the blue hedgehog's shoulder.

Sonic's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Clan...mark?"


	4. Of Marks and Fireflies

Sonic felt confused and couldn't stop himself from feeling so. He didn't want to feel confused. Not really. Confusion wasn't a particularly fond emotion of his. He'd rather feel anything else.

Cedar had taken note of his emotion, but so far had sat in silence. The best the younger hedgehog could assume was that the elder was assessing the situation. Orange light danced around the room, each individual coal looking as if it had a thousand lightning bugs dancing across them. He couldn't help but marvel at this subtle The heat pressed upon the blue hedgehog like a firm handshake.

The Guardian's semi-transparent forms danced along with the orange light. "So," the voice of Cedar broke through Sonic's focus on the light show, "You don't even know what Clan Marks are, let alone that you have one?"

"Uh. Yes- Wait- uh-" Now Sonic was really confused. He glanced at the Guardians, pure confusion across his face. Maria seemed to be in the same ditch as he was. She was looking towards the elder Guardians, seemingly about to ask exactly what this tree dude was talking about. Seris put a finger to the human girl's lips. Fleetway had not moved at all since they had come into the room. He was focused on the flames dancing. Though it seemed that his ear at least twitched when Maria sighed in distaste.

Cedar didn't look frustrated as Sonic had expected. Perhaps his tone of voice was so...oddly calm it was why Sonic had just assumed he was frustrated.

"Let," the older hedgehog paused as if considering exactly how he was going to do this, "Let me show you mine."

He turned so his left shoulder was clearly in the view of Sonic. He closed his eyes focusing on...something. Sonic raised an eyebrow at the Guardians, but it was clear they weren't paying attention to him at the moment. His eyes went back to Cedar's arm.

Of all the things he didn't expect was the sudden light to seem to burst from the man's shoulder. In fact, it startled him so much he almost fell off the stool. Of course, he managed to catch himself. Somehow.

The light dimmed until only a glowing design remained. Sonic squinted at the image for a few seconds. _It looks almost like a...a rose._

Indeed, it was a rose. It was opened almost fully, a few petals falling down Cedar's arm. Vines twisted around his arm, thorns sprouting from them. Black pupils darted from Cedar's arm to the Guardians then back to his arm.

 _Wait a minute, is he saying? That I? Are you saying-_ "I have one of those?" He startled himself by letting his thoughts spill out his mouth. 'This is crazy, right? I would've known.'

Cedar's mouth twitched momentarily into a frown, and the blue hedgehog had to wonder if Cedar had even noticed that.

Instead of clearly answering Cedar asked, "Do you know what Chaos Energy is?"

Sonic barely could control not cracking a smile. _If only you knew the half of it._ Not saying anything he nodded.

"Well, try concentrating on...seeing what you want to see." Cedar's eyebrow twitched as if he wasn't satisfied with his own instructions, "You know what a Clan Mark is. Focus on finding one."

 _Okay...I'm focusing. Focus. Righto. Just-... …. …. … . … … Focus._

Cedar's bright mark faded even more, but Sonic could still see it. Perhaps not as much with his physical eyes, but a sight beyond what his body could perceive.

"If you haven't noticed. I'm not channeling it out to the world anymore." The warm tone in his voice helped to ease Sonic's confusion. "Eventually you'll get to the point with simple stuff like this and just _know_ when someone has one." Sonic's furrowed brow didn't help the situation.

"Channel your thoughts on seeing mine. To seeing _yours_." _Right. So the whole mark that I have that apparently started this situation. Hmm...Cedar's is on my left...his right shoulder...so if I look at mine and then...augh, this won't wo-_ And then his arm seemed to spark like flint against a stone. So Sonic focused more. Mentally he captured sparks( _ **fireflies**_ ) and smashed them together ( _ **put them in a jar**_ _)_ and then a picture seemed to appear on his arm, ( _ **the world was dark, and suddenly the fireflies burst from the jar. They arranged themselves around him forming a collage of colors and lights. And then they were a picture.)**_

He stared for a moment. The seven gems cascading down his arm in an elegant dance. Their energies shifting. He could see. Everything just in that moment. ( _ **of course, he danced with the fireflies.**_ )

Then the world was normal again. It shifted back to its regular self, and his mark was not a miniature aurora borealis but glowed as Cedar's had. Cedar whistled. Somehow Sonic knew that he hadn't seen anything like Cedar had. Cedar couldn't _see_ as he could. ( _ **perhaps to him the world of fireflies was but a distant blur, like seeing without glasses…**_ ) It was this moment the young hedgehog finally knew exactly what it meant to be a Guardian of the Chaos Emeralds.

( _ **it was a world of fireflies. A thousand dances, a thousand lights. He didn't need a jar. Not like everyone else. He was one with each firefly, and together they would fly.)**_

* * *

"That...is one that I've never seen before," Cedar said, chewing on his bottom lip. "You're not from here are you?" Before Sonic could even think to respond, _Well If I could stop looking at my arm,_ Cedar waved him off.

"Nevermind that question. I owe you an explanation first." Cedar shifted on his stool, shoulders slumping as he thought about what to say. "Back in the ol' days. And I mean. Way, _Way_ back," Sonic's charcoal eyes shifted to the Guardians, who to be honest for the first time in a long time, he'd truly forgotten about. Specifically to Seris and Fleetway. He'd done the math and knew that Fleetway was from around 300 years ago, and Seris about two hundred, Maria was nowhere close, and would be about...40 years? The exact number slipped his mind. _Fleetway is from Way Way back...and Seris...still not as far but ...nearly. They'd known...of course. They must have. But… I wonder why- are clan marks actually that important or-?_

"No one exactly knows where the marks first came from, but there was always one thing clear about them," He pointed at the blue hedgehog's to make a point, "They are markers." _No duh._ " Markers of people who are part of a group...one way or another." He pointed to his own shoulder, despite him not making it visible again like before, not like Sonic could _not_ not see it anymore. Now that he knew it was there he couldn't not see it.

"Families, of course, are first who come to mind, then there are workers, back when tribes were more common they tended to have subdivisions to their marks to say what they worked as, or what their class was."

Sonic barely opened his mouth to ask a question but the elder Mobian interrupted him, "What happened? Heh, I don't know. The fading of Chaos Energy...there's myths about...Mobians having eye colors, like humans you know? And the only reason they have 'em is because that's where the highest amount of energy they have is behind their orbs. Makes them perceptive, but...you don't really see us Mobians with eye colors anymore." Cedar looked to the fire, his voice quiet, "Occasionally according to voices in the wind that...some high-powered Mobians have colors."

The flames danced higher, and Sonic finally looked again to the Guardians. Maria had blue eyes. Fleetway's brown-hazel...almost red at times. Seris had a striking violet.

His own were a charcoal black.

And he'd known sometimes to have people comment that they thought he had.

Green.

Eyes.

Only to say that they'd been mistaken.

 _What happened that barely any Mobians have eye colors anymore? And what about Clan Marks...heck, what happened to Chaos Energy in general?_

"I got my mark through Rosie's mother...a special ceremony and all that jazz." He paused, sighing, "We're not exactly married, and by no means are we _legally_ anywhere close- but that ceremony is a lot different from other ways. It was mostly an exchanging of words, typical wedding things, I suppose." Cedar got up from his chair, and went over to a table in the back corner, leaning over and pulling a box from underneath it. He put it on his stool and clicked it open, leaving Sonic to stare in confusion.

In the box, was what looked like a cattle prod, in the box's velvet lining. "This is one way of applying it. It's a tad more Medieval than some would like but. I would like to offer you this."

Sonic stared wide-eyed, brows raised. "Excuse me?"

Cedar continued, "By giving you an identifying mark, it will let you be displayed as a friend of the family. Anyone with the mark will be able to identify that. It will come in handy, and considering what you did for us I think it's a fair trade-off."

Sonic seemed to consider it. With Robotnik, he never knew what situations might arise that he might need allies. Still. On the other hand. That was a cattle prod.

The elder hedgehog seemed to read his mind. "It's not nearly as painful as it looks. It's only mildly warmed by the flames. The rest is all chaos energy." Sonic toyed with the new rips in his gloves that had gone almost completely forgotten. It was strange, the cuts and bruises from his hands were gone. _Heh._

"It won't be visible unless someone does the _thing_ , right?"

* * *

Sonic stared at his right knee. On the surface of things, it only looked like his knee was a bit well, swollen, as if he had knocked it against something, but not enough to bruise it. He then shut his left eye, focusing. There were the gnarled vines, each sharp thorn as real as could be. The red rose, late in stages of blooming. It was slightly different from Cedar's. There were hardly any petals falling, only one. It only barely trailed far from the rose, perhaps a few centimeters.

If there was anything that Sonic would not have imaged was that being branded like a stock animal would be anything that would happen to him. Or the fact that he would do it willingly. It wasn't nearly as painful as he had thought it would be.

 _Hmm...I…! I didn't ask an opinion from- Hey! Where'd they go?_ He glanced around looking for the Guardians, but no dice. Cedar had long abandoned him to go back into his smithy after he had applied antiseptic to his knee. He was sitting in their kitchen, and dubiously had been staring at his knee for the past hour, it seemed.

Thoughts floating through the clouds, he got up and started his way out of the house and to his plane. It seemed as if he had been gone for far too long. He knew that...possibly a couple days had passed. One for certain. _Man, Time travel really messes with your head._

He hadn't said goodbye to either Rose, but it seemed almost certain that they'd meet again considering now that he was **marked.**

Then there was the matter of the other mark. The emeralds...that definitely had to be related to the whole Guardian-thing. It was kinda spooky, having someone else recognize this mark that was on display, reaffirm that it was real. It really was one thing hearing and seeing people in your head but to have someone confirm it's reality? Sure Cedar didn't know about the Guardians, but he _saw_ the mark.

He shook off the thoughts. Serious thoughts could be dwindled over later. First, he had to get home to Tails. Well, third. First, he had to get his pictures developed and then go back to the Tornado and then go home. _Yeah._

* * *

"I'm back!" Sonic called over the already self-explanatory plane engine. Tails had rushed into the hangar, a huge grin plastered over his face. The fox rushed over, tails having picked him up in a slight hover.

"Did you get the photos?" He asked, eyes wide. Sonic pretended to think for a moment, then checked non-existent pockets.

"Hmmm. Must have left th-" _Well that's the pouty face I've ever seen._ "Okay, okay. Fine, here ya go." Seemingly pulling the photos out of nowhere. Tails eyes widened, and he hastily grabbed the photos and examined them.

"This is crazy! What was it like?" The young kitsune had already gone through the stack of photos thrice over, his eyes darting like a hummingbird high on sugar. Sonic shifted awkwardly, a wave of exhaustion suddenly hitting him. It had been a long couple of days. "Oh," Tails said suddenly as if he understood, "Maybe you can tell me after you've rested awhile." The hedgehog managed a small smile.

They started to head out of the hangar, to the living room/kitchen. Tails walked to his left, smile wide until "There is one thing I should tell you though." The fox said putting a finger to his chin as his eyes remained fixated on the floor, pictures tightly held in the other hand.

"Hm?" Sonic lazily raised an eyebrow. _Exhaustion hath brought her wrath upon me._ _My fair lady of Exhaustion is hath...uncool._

"I think we have a mailman."

"Uh," _Excuse me?_ "What?" Sonic was sure his eyes had widened because there were several things he was sure of. This island did not have a postal address. And also, the whole point of living on it was just to, _not_ be bothered by the rest of the world?

"Yeah, he was this old kooky owl dude who had these...uh, weird 'glasses' and he gave us mail." Sonic squinted at Tails, who was shrugging. A nervous smile played at the corner of the fox's mouth.

"Okay. I'm gonna sleep for the next 12 hours and then we're gonna talk about this, okay?" He heard a snort to his right. His eyes darted to the sound, fight or flight already kicking into action. That was until he saw it was Fleetway. He was idle; leaning against a wall, but moving along as they walked. It was quite...a hard sight to process, and made his brain hurt.

'Since when do you laugh?' The yellow hedgehog gave him a barely-concealed smile, masked by a scowl.

"...I'll wait till then Sonic! Okay?" In his distraction, Sonic had lost track of the fox's words. He waved him off in permission, and the fox grinned wide.

"I'll go start cleaning up the Tornado then!" And the fox rushed back to the hangar. Sonic sighed, then turned to Fleetway. Back to the Booth to sleep. _Nice._

'Where were you guys?' Fleetway's mouth twisted.

He replied slowly, thinking his of his words very carefully. "Maria was quite...aggravated by the fact that she didn't know what Clan Marks were. Of course...I suppose I- Wrongly assumed that she- and you already knew what they were. From Seris' tone of voice, she also had made a...similar assumption."

"Huh." The young hedgehog blinked. "I'll talk-" he paused, continuing in thoughts, 'to you in white space.'


	5. Of Witchcarts and Letters

It turns out Maria was mostly angry about not knowing about the Clan Marks was true. To quote Seris "It never came up!" Seris' mark was on her inner right wrist, Fleetway on his right calf and Maria on her right foot. It seemed that being of the right side of a body with this mark was a thing. The Guardian's Marks were not as strongly colored as his and had an almost translucent look. If Seris and Fleetway had any more they were obviously covered by perhaps somehow purposely blocking others from seeing them. Either way Sonic had never thought he would ever think a poncho could be so suspicious.

This new knowledge was great. It would be fun if he was ever on Jeopardy or...any other trivia game show. It just...didn't quite click with him all yet. He needed time to process. Organize his thoughts into slightly cleaner folders. It was kinda hard to do that with three other people rambling around in your brain if that's hard to believe.

Now when he had woken up, bleary-eyed, quills going the wrong way, Maria was at her usual place by his side. She still looked frustrated...or maybe sad? Or possibly both. 'Are you really this shaken up by it?'

She looked at him, blinking a few times. Processing his words. "I died young Sonic." She looked away, "I'm _practically_ learning all this stuff at the same time you are." A chord struck in him. A sort of harmonic disheartening filled him for a moment, and everything seemed to sharpen around him.

The blue hedgehog then let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It was a sad melody that Maria had caused.

"Huh." He got up from his booth. The early morning blades of sunlight proved that he had slept a very long time. All afternoon and through the night, he was more exhausted than he'd thought. His over exaggeration was actually an underestimate. He stopped by the counter, pushing himself unto a stool. The aforementioned letters by Tails were there. There were only two.

They were both addressed to him. One with gold swirling handwriting and the other in simple type. The gold had a return address, while the type had none. He opted to open the gold first.

"Kingdom of the Sky, huh?" Maria frowned at this, a twitch pulled at her eyebrow.

"Mm?" He prodded.

"It must be nothing. But I swear...that name...doesn't seem right." Any thoughts of frustration had seeped out of her, leaving only confusion. The hedgehog raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

He slid his finger under the envelope's lip, tearing the paper. The letter was as ornate as the envelope when it came to the handwriting. His name looked almost like calligraphy. Seris had appeared now, appearing to lean over the other side of the counter. Her eyes were focused on the letter, and a very silly thought crossed his mind. _If she stares any harder, she'll set the paper on fire._ He put off the odd stare from Seris just as he had with Maria's confusion.

" _ **Dear Sonic the Hedgehog,"**_ He read aloud and clear. Tails had sleepily walked into the room, paused, then continued to the fridge. His namesakes idly moved in rhythm to his walk.

" _ **It is our honor to thank you for your service for the good of Mobius. Few Mobians have such privilege as this. While you saved South Island from one certain-"**_ Here the flowy calligraphy stopped as to not give any kindness to the name, instead it was written in black ink, still handwritten by with a sort-of carelessness someone would have if they were writing a grocery list, " _ **Ivo J. Robotnik."**_ He swallowed, as the calligraphy returned " _ **South Island and the Kingdom of the Sky have been long-time allies throughout time, and as South Island has acknowledged you as their hero and protector, so shall we."**_ The letter was short, straight to the point, and showed as much disdain for Robotnik as Sonic did, not through words but through a change of _font._

" _ **Signed, The President of the Kingdom of the Sky, Bhiu D. Strivesworth."**_ Sonic's eyes scanned the letter one last time, looking up to come face to face with Tails face over the counter. He was hovering pouring milk into his cereal bowl.

Tails, not taking his eyes off his cereal, as he finally put the cap back on the milk. He pushed the carton over to Sonic who gladly took a long drink from it. "Did I mention the owl flew here in a rocket plane?" The blue hedgehog spluttered mid-drink spraying milk everywhere.

There was a moment of blissful silence.

And then the room burst into uproarious laughter.

Both Maria and Tails were having a blast of a time at his expense as he wiped milk off himself. Luckily it had mostly gone on him, and not on the letters. Seris chuckled softly under her breath as well. He glared at all of them. _A human, a fox, and an echidna all laugh at a poor, poor hedgehog. Oh, pity the hedgehog, will you. Please._ He allowed himself a small smile, as he went to get a towel from a drawer. When he slid off the stool he found himself looking over by the booth.

There was Fleetway in all his stoic glory, any amusement hidden. He was sitting, mid-air over the table, legs crossed at the ankles. His eyes were closed.

And then one eye opened, looked at Sonic, and then was closed again. _If that was humor in his eye, Chaos help me._

The little azure hedgehog cleaned up as the bouts of laughter were coming to an end. His eyes slid over to the _other_ letter. He wasn't sure exactly what about him had made the laughter stop suddenly. His posture, his face, his eyes, perhaps?

 _This typestyle. This font...with the little printing smears around the edges of where the stamping press would be- I know this font. I know it._ He had the letter in his hands now. A tremor ran down his spine. 'It almost looks like…like something that came from-' He slid his hand through the paper, and out spilled a thousand tiny grains of silver sand.

"Robotnik."

It looked like sand. Of course, it did. It wasn't. It was little shards of metal, each producing a tiny metallic 'ting' sound on the already metallic floor. He let the envelope fall from his hands. Silence had enveloped the room like a thick fog. Looming, deafening, lurking.

"What…?" Tails asked in a small voice, "Was that?"

"A threat." He replied readily, "It." He took a breath. "Was a threat."

* * *

 _:If one were to hypothetically ask, why coincidences happen, the proper explanation would be so long and tedious that the answer would go on forever and ever. Yet the people of Mobius had always had a simpler explanation. By the will of Chaos. What exactly is Chaos? A being? A presence? An external force? No one, quite knows, and it's quite possible that no one ever will. The people of Earth who had traveled by space to Mobius 180 years ago, and ongoing today, have no idea either. In fact. They found the concept of Chaos very silly. At least some did._

 _Ivo Robotnik does not find it silly._

 _That much is certain. :_

* * *

"S-So Robotnik was on Little Planet?" Tails' eyes were wide. He gave a sharp nod to the fox, lips in a thin line.

" **But what did the letter mean?** " Sonic blinked at Maria and Tails' overlapping words. In fact, Maria seemed quite surprised as well compared to the completely oblivious Tails.

Fleetway's eyes bore into the dustpan which they had swept the metallic shavings in. It was sitting on the table, and since being cleaned up, Sonic hadn't dared to touch it. Despite only just fighting Robotnik, this felt bigger. Grander. This was _Serious_. "Speaking of," Fleetway's voice filled the air, almost monotone, "When did he send this, before or after our recent interaction with him?" The yellow hedgehog was floating so that he was directly above the dustpan and now slowly was floating to the floor.

"I don't know if he sent it before or after Little Planet." He replied, delicately, hoping to balance a conversation where one of the party was completely unaware of the other three. "I don't think he knew I was going to show up though."

" **How?** " Tails' eyes held a glint of fear in them, but Maria simply grimaced. "That's way too weird for me." She muttered, eyeing the kitsune.

"Little Planet," He replied after a moment, "Seemed almost like a- almost like a side project? He was using _flowers_ to power his badniks." He paused, eyes flicking back and forth as he processed his thoughts, "A test. Just like Metal Sonic, who clearly needs an A.I. adjustment cause he got destroyed by slamming into a wall at high speed, despite the trap was actually Robotnik's laser- Well nevermind anyway."

Tails raised a hand to his chin, and scrunched his eyes as a thought came to him, "I wonder...if...this side project...well… you said Metal Sonic looked really advanced for a prototype when you were telling me about Little Planet."

"He's right, that robot looked more like a finished product than a prototype, and way more advanced than any of the robots we saw," Seris added. The young hedgehog sighed and shrugged.

"Well, maybe we should keep our guard up if Robotnik attacks us here, right, Sonic?" Tails' asked, a little bit of brightness coming into his eyes, perhaps seeing approval.

"No, not right now little bro," he said, picking at the cough of his glove, "He'll want us to come to him."

A spark lit up in Tails' face when Sonic said the word 'bro', the hedgehog realized, and a quick moment of panic hit him. _What if I mess this all up? What if Robotnik gets to him? I need to get a plan together, otherwise, Robotnik might-_

"I told you." Seris' smooth voice broke through his thoughts, shattering them like porcelain.

Tails, with a little grin on his face, had a bit of disappointment in their as well. "That's a shame, I was hoping to use some of my bombs, or the 'Sea Fox'."

All of the Guardians drew a blank face.

"Excuse me, BOMBS?" Sonic threw his arms wide as his surprise took over him, with just a slight ever so little sprinkling of panic. 'Why would he need bombs, ever!?'

"Does it look like we know?" Seris asked dryly, eyebrow raised. Sonic shifted his shoulder awkwardly in reply.

"Yeah, uh. I got bored, and I pretended to fight Wendy Witchcart. And then while doing that I sorta accidentally invented a bomb. Then I got bored of Witchcart. So I explored the island, and bombed things that were in my way, and pretended to fight The Battle Kukku Empire, against their great leader The Great Battle Kukku, and then I invented the Sea Fox which is a submarine, which is in a lake towards the center of the island." Tails' speech had gotten slightly faster, and louder as he had talked. _That clocks a good 8 of the Excit-o-Tails meter._

Then Sonic blinked. 'So like a normal kid, he's playing pretend. But while he's at it he invents a literal bomb. Then he makes a submarine. What in the actual-'

"You could go for a ride in my submarine if you wan-" Tails stopped after a swift hand motion by the hedgehog.

"No offense Tails, but me and water don't mix. I only go underwater if I absolutely have to." Maria glanced at him, a clear curious glint in her eye. A glint of polished glass, almost. This was the second time he had said that. That he didn't like to go underwater. _But she doesn't really know what it feels like...when you're drowning._ He could feel a projected question from Maria, not in explicit words, but more of a feeling. It seemed she was trying that projecting thing Seris had shown her. 'Not now. Okay.'

"But. On the Other Hand. Exploring stuff _not_ underwater seems cool."

Tails grinned.

* * *

The lake was extraordinarily beautiful. Every shimmer of light reflected on its pure blue surface. It was extremely clear towards the surface, but it was easy to see that it was also very deep. Its exact depths were unclear from the surface, but if Sonic had to guess, it was deep enough for a submarine adventure. Then. Then there was the waterfall. It almost reminded him of Green Hill Zone, although an entirely different kind of beauty at the same time. If it was a lot shallower, it would remind him of the small pool that was by his cave in Green Hill. A small stream, with a tiny miniature waterfall, into shallow water, easy to bathe in.

He was perched on the rock on top of the waterfall, Tails was deep in the waters, with his Sea Fox.

He hadn't said a word since saying that exploring would be chill. He communicated with body language, a few nods, a few grunts, whatever. Tails was getting pretty skilled at reading him. They really just... fit together. Then, the Guardians. They'd strayed behind him, discussing things quietly. Mostly between Seris and Fleetway. Maria on the other hand. She was distracted, staring. Distressed. After a while the Guardians had disappeared from his sight entirely, probably invisible, giving him privacy.

In reality, he just wasn't ready for this, at all. This responsibility. He'd rebelled against a tyrant, and he was gonna pay for it.

 _There's not enough time you have to get out of there!_

 _Maurice! Run!_

 _Run! Don't stop running!_

 _Sonic! Sonic!_

 _ **RUN**_

"Sonic?"

He was startled out of his dark reverie by Maria, who was looking at him, concerned. He shrugged. This was a quiet time for him. There's something about not talking for about a year that does that to a person. Not that he'd ever been extremely talkative. Now, however, it seemed like he might as well start working on that. Especially with his expanding social sphere, despite how slow it was doing it. He'd definitely be seeing the Roses again, and Tails was his...brother.

"Ah," She simply uttered. This had not been the first time he'd closed himself off. Especially when they'd just entered his life. Even with mental communication, he'd like to keep to himself sometimes, too.

Looking around, the other two were nowhere in sight, and he raised an eyebrow at the human. "Oh them? Arguing." She said, a disgruntled look on her face. She shook her head, "They're like an old married couple, except they're going through a rough patch." A small soundless laugh left his lips, nothing but air. She smiled in response and kicked her feet. "Sit Sonic, you've been crouched like that for about 15 minutes." She patted the rock, soundlessly.

The afternoon sunshine had no effect on Maria's appearance. Still that odd transparency. She had a wistful look in her eyes, and slowly he started to sit, sitting criss-cross-applesauce. They sat in silence for a long while, the breeze flowing by them. Maria's hair moved with the wind, falsely of course.

"I'm scared of blood." She said, softly, "Ah, don't give me that look. What I mean is, I'm afraid of bleeding. Me. Specifically. I mean it's kinda defunct now but...hell," Her lips moved foreignly around the world, "Bleeding, could lead to infection and-" She sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Let's just say I wasn't the healthiest kid when I was alive. Infections were a big no-no."

There was silence for what seemed like forever. The young hedgehog grabbed a pebble and tossed it into the lake, the small splash unheard due to the waterfall. A pause. Maria took her headband, then stretching it till it was flat, flung it out into the sky, when it fell into the waterfall, she made an explosion sound.

Sonic smiled at that, another soundless laugh. Despite the fact that neither she or the headband was corporeal. That was some good humor right there. Then Maria cupped her hands together and anxiously glanced behind her shoulder. A small inhalation of breath from Maria then, and a very heavy sigh to follow it.

"There's a storm coming isn't there?"

Sonic frowned, the skies looked perfectly clear to the blue hedgehog. Then, it clicked. She was talking about Robotnik.

She clicked her tongue, as the look passed his face, "I figured." Blue eyes closed for a moment, then opened a lighter color of hope behind the azure. "But. There's always a rainbow after the storm." She said it as a statement, firm, immovable. _I wish that I could think like that._ He shook his head internally at himself, _Correction. I should think like that. Hope doesn't come without effort._

"He shouldn't HAVE to fight." _Ah, there was Seris._

"Did I not try to warn you…? Tails is part of the fight now, I could see it coming from two feet away." _Fleetway as ordered._

"They're being pleasant aren't, they?" He asked in a whisper to Maria.

"They must've gotten so deep into their fight," she mumbled out of the side of her mouth, "that they slipped back into visibility without realizing it. "

'Ah.'

"Fleets, we can't run into this Robotnik guy with Toaster in tow, the kid had enough to worry about last time with a hostage he barely knew! What about-" Fleetway cut her off with a swift hand motion.

His voice was quiet "I tried to warn you. People like us don't _have_ friends. We just get them always...we always get them hurt" He looked away, and sighed. "But I've seen the look in the young fox's eyes. He has pledged his honor to protect Sonic just as Sonic has to him. It's the mark of a warrior to protect others. It's better to try and make sure anyone that young shouldn't have to fight. But...chaos...sometimes we don't get to decide. You were in favor of 'keeping him' part of the blame is on you."

Seris was quiet for a moment, biting her bottom lip. "I hate this... I... _I hate this._ "

"Don't we all?" Fleetway murmured, he said lifting a hand to Seris' cheek before stiffly throwing it to his side, and then throwing a side glance at the two youngest Guardians. He sighed. "Don't. We. All." A sort of mournful regret shown in his eyes, as he faded back into invisibility. Seris muttered a cursed, before seeing the two watching her. For a moment she stared, her eyes were dark, blue reflecting in the purple, almost like shattered glass. Then, she too faded out of the scenery.


End file.
